“This year we acquired six family medicine practices and in 2015 we hope to add another 15. This year we opened a large clinic in Soseaua Giurgiului and four small family medicine units in Baneasa, Dristor, Orhideea and Piata Progresului. Beside these units, we upgraded lab and clinic equipment. Overall, this year’s investments revolved around RON3 million,” Cristian Sas told ZF.
Anima, which entered the private healthcare market in full crisis, initially as a unit of A&D Pharma, Romania’s largest drug group, from which it subsequently split, in 2013 came 30th in the ranking of the biggest healthcare providers in Romania, with revenue worth RON19.2 million.
The company focuses on family medicine and its majority stakeholder is Ludovic Robert, one of the businesspeople who set up A&D Pharma.
According to Sas, Anima in the first six months of this year registered a 34% increase in retail, while on the segment of insurers the increase reached 41%.
“Operating the biggest ambulatory service center under contract with the national health insurance house in Bucharest, this increase is natural and solid and comes in the wake of over three years of investments in family medicine, which has now reached almost 40,000 clients. We’re also working very well with private insurers, which are starting to have a say on this market through companies such as Allianz, Signal Iduna and Generali,” added Sas.
According to provided data, the lab posted a 70% increase in the first 6 months of the year on the rising number of business to business clients.
“On the corporate segment, we are still witnessing a tight battle between the main players, with prices falling further. With over 107,000 employees in the corporate product portfolio, we rank third-fourth on the market,” stated Cristian Sas.
About the 2015 budget, he said there are several scenarios, and that the network will expand through acquisitions on the family medicine segment and “perhaps on other segments as well if the market should provide opportunities”.
“The market is calling for consolidation. Service prices are very low and it is only efficient players that are still reporting a profit. I believe 2015 will be the year of consolidation,” believes Sas.
Anima CEO considers each person should have a personal prevention plan and this is why the role of family doctors is extremely important.
(English version by Catalina Apostoiu)