The 50:50 joint venture, Bupa Piramal Healthcare Ltd, will set up healthcare clinics in India to provide a full spectrum of primary care and diagnostic facilities with comprehensive medical records.

A company press release said that Bupa Piramal's maiden venture, Wellspring, at Lower Parel in Mumbai, is nearing completion and will be opened in the latter half of October 1999.

Ashutosh Ojha will be the managing director, while Carol Knott on secondment from Bupa, UK, will be the deputy managing director of the joint venture.

Spread over 40,000 sq ft in a six storeyed building, Wellspring Hospital will provide ambulatory care facilities for a range of medical consultations with general practioners, consulting physicians, cardiologists, among others.

Wellspring Hospital will have a well-equipped 3,200 sq ft sports gymnasium and a sports sciences complex which will be supported by doctors. The hospital will also feature a comprehensive pharmacy.

"We seek out the best in class in our efforts to grow our healthcare business and Bupa, known for its expertise in healthcare management, will guide us in our endeavour," Piramal Enterprises chairman Ajay Piramal said.