Folks, a few days ago I posted a few thoughts about the growth in healthcare M&A activity — and told you that I saw activity picking up in Q4 of this year. Without saying so, or even thinking about it, I pretty much assumed that we were talking about outflows of U.S. capital into other regions.
That, I’m embarassed to say, was rather myopic of me. In fact, until today, I was completely out of touch with the pace of healthcare investments across the world. And while India is perhaps the most visible example of a globally-expanding marketplace, it’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Just check out some of the recent transactions I found just be doing a little digging:
> Indian hospital chain Fortis Healthcare plans to buy a hefty chunk (23.9 percent) of Singapore’s Parkway Holdings.
> Hospital operator Life Healthcare Group completed South Africa’s biggest IPO last week, in a deal which raised about $680 million. The company, whichowns or operates 62 hospitals and about 8,100 beds total, is hunting for properties in Turkey, Ghana and india.
> Qatar First Investment Bank, along with private equity firm Ithmar, has begun picking up healthcare and pharma/life sciences investments in the region. The first deal undertaken by the two is an investment in Abu Dhabi-based Al Noor Medical Company.
Of course, some markets will be slower than others to pick up speed — after all, healthcare systems are often intertwined with government financing schemes and local politics — but the process of global consolidation is well on its way.
