Ramsay, Sime Darby shortlist bidders for US$1.5bil hospital sale

Ramsay, Sime Darby shortlist bidders for US$1.5bil hospital sale

Columbia Asia and Sunway Medical Centre are among four suitors shortlisted to bid for Ramsay Sime Darby Health Care.

Ramsay Sime Darby Health Care owns four hospitals in Malaysia and three hospitals in Indonesia. (Sime Darby pic)
PETALING JAYA:
Australia’s biggest private hospital operator Ramsay Health Care Ltd, and Malaysian conglomerate Sime Darby Bhd have shortlisted candidates for the sale of their hospital unit, which could fetch about US$1.5 billion (RM7 billion) in a deal, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

TPG Inc-backed hospital group Columbia Asia Sdn Bhd and Sunway Medical Centre, a unit of Bursa Malaysia-listed Sunway Bhd, were picked to proceed to the next round of bidding for Ramsay Sime Darby Health Care Sdn Bhd, said the people.

Macquarie Asset Management and PT Mitra Keluarga Karyasehat are also among the shortlisted suitors, they said, asking not to be identified as the process is private.

The sellers invited some healthcare companies and private equity firms to submit non-binding bids for the unit by the end of August, Bloomberg News reported.

The revival of the deal comes after discussions with IHH Healthcare Bhd collapsed last year. The parties couldn’t reach a binding agreement for the sale of the hospital unit, according to a statement at the time.

Binding bids for Ramsay Sime Darby Health Care are due in October, the people said. Deliberations are ongoing and there is no guarantee a deal will proceed.

Representatives for Columbia Asia, Macquarie Asset Management, Mitra Keluarga, Ramsay Health Care and Sime Darby declined to comment. A representative for Sunway didn’t respond to requests for comment via emails and calls.

Founded in 2013, Ramsay Sime Darby Health Care was set up to hold Sime Darby and Ramsay Health Care’s combined portfolio of hospitals in Southeast Asia. The Australian and Malaysian owners hold equal stakes in the venture.

Ramsay Sime Darby Health Care owns four hospitals in Malaysia and three hospitals in Indonesia, according to the company’s website. It provides inpatient and outpatient services from primary care to surgery, as well as mental healthcare and rehabilitation.

Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram

Subscribe to our newsletter and get news delivered to your mailbox.