HSCC (formerly known as Hospital Services Consultancy Corporation), a mini-ratna public sector enterprise under the administrative control of the ministry of health and family welfare, is well placed to grow as India steps up its expenditure to meet the deficit in healthcare infrastructure. The PSU is a leading player in healthcare infrastructure consultancy, a niche business segment. It caters for the domestic market, but has presence in other countries as well. In an interview with FE?s Noor Mohammad, HSCC chairman and managing director VC Sharma discusses his company?s business plans and challenges. Excerpts:

What services do you provide in healthcare infrastructure consultancy?

We provide complete solutions to project developers, starting from conceptualisation to commissioning. Specifically, we undertake jobs like preparation of feasibility studies, architectural planning, design and engineering work, and project and procurement management. Besides, we also train personnel for clients. We have the technical expertise to handle large projects like multispeciality and super-specialty hospitals and medical colleges.

Which projects are you handling currently?

We are involved with several projects in India and overseas at the moment. In India, we are advising the Punjab government on setting up or upgrading 40 hospitals. We also have the assignments to do a detailed project report of the Chittranjan National Cancer Institute in Kolkata and prepare a comprehensive re-development plan for the Lady Hardinge Medical College in Delhi. We are also doing a detailed project report for upgrading the National Institute of Communicable Diseases to the National Centre for Disease Control. Abroad, we are advising on the development of a hospital complex in Dickoya, Sri Lanka, funded by the Indian government.

How has HSCC’s financial performance been over the years?

HSCC has been making profits for the last 26 years and paying dividends. During 2010-11, it maintained all-round progress in its activities and reported a total income of R33.46 crore, the highest ever for the company. It declared a dividend of 72% of its paid-up capital. As of March 2011, our reserves and surpluses is R76.3 crore and and net worth R78.72 crore.

HSCC has earned the distinction of maintaining the mini-ratna status from September1999. Further, based on the results for the year 2010-11, the company expects to get excellent rating in the memorandum of understanding evaluation.

Are you looking at expanding your service offerings?

HSCC has been continuously working towards increasing its domain through diversification of its service portfolio. For example, we are looking at providing building, engineering and maintenance services to our clients. We also intend to offer consultancy on developing infrastructure projects through the public-private partnership model. Further, we also plan to offer design and engineering services for non-medical campuses and complexes.

Are you taking any new business development initiatives?

We are making efforts to expand our international business in the Saarc region, South East Asia and Africa. In India, we have also taken initiatives to diversify our clientele base among governments and public sector companies.