Latest news with #VishalBali
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
a day ago
- Business
- Business Standard
GIC, TPG-backed AHH targets 20 AINU hospitals by FY30, eyes GI entry
Asian Healthcare Holdings (AHH), backed by Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC and private equity firm TPG, plans to expand to about 20 nephrology and urology facilities under its Asian Institute of Nephrology and Urology (AINU) brand by the end of FY30. AINU currently operates over 500 beds in seven hospitals across Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Siliguri, and Chennai. It inaugurated a 200-bed flagship hospital in Hyderabad on Monday. 'Between FY26 and FY27, there will be another three to four hospitals, which will take our tally to 12-13 facilities,' Vishal Bali, executive chairman of AHH, told Business Standard. With this expansion, AINU's bed capacity will reach about 850. He added that the next phase of growth will focus on tier-II cities such as Bhubaneswar, Patna, Coimbatore, and Pune. Sandeep Guduru, chief executive officer of AINU, said Rs 150 crore in capital expenditure has been earmarked to open three to four new urology and nephrology facilities in the next 12 months. 'We are also expanding our robotic surgery capabilities in a couple of our other cities,' he added. Bali said that between FY27 and FY30, AINU could add another seven to eight hospitals, taking the total to around 20. AHH, which owns Motherhood Hospitals (maternity care), AINU, and Nova IVF (IVF), is a healthcare platform specialising in single-specialty hospitals. The network now plans to enter one or two additional specialties. 'Gastroenterology (GI) is one such specialty that we would be keen to explore,' Bali said. He explained that GI offers a strong outpatient department with endoscopy, as well as inpatient procedures largely driven by minimal access surgery. On the possibility of an initial public offering, Bali declined to share a timeline, saying it was a matter of when the investors deemed it appropriate. 'However, with the Ebitda that we have on the platform today, the company could potentially go to an IPO even in the next 16 or 18 months,' he said.
Economic Times
30-06-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
Big money is making a beeline for Indian hospitals
Indian hospitals are the new goldmine for deep pockets. Besides a rush of investment, a high-intensity consolidation is ongoing in India's hospital space. As per an ET report based on information from sources, IPO-bound Manipal Health Enterprises is leading the race to acquire Sahyadri Hospitals with a Rs 6,838 crore ($800 million) bid. Global investment firm Blackstone is a close second, sources said. IHH Healthcare-backed Fortis Healthcare and EQT Partners also submitted bids on June 23, which was the last day to submit binding financial bids. ADVERTISEMENT Also Read: Manipal Health Enterprises leads race to buy Sahyadri Hospitals The Pune-headquartered hospital chain, which operates 11 facilities across Pune, Nashik, Ahilya Nagar and Karad, comprising 1,300 beds, 2,500 clinicians and 3,500 support staff, is owned by Canada's pension fund Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP), which had acquired Sahyadri from Everstone Capital in August 2022 at a valuation of around Rs 2,500 crore, outbidding Max Healthcare. Everstone had bought the hospital chain three years earlier in 2019 from its founder, neurosurgeon Charudutt Apte, for about Rs 1,000 crore. The big money chasing Sahyadri for past several years is emblematic of the attraction Indian hospitals, especially smaller chains, have come to hold in recent times. Bulge-bracket private equity funds are increasingly investing in single-specialty Indian hospital chains that present a robust growth potential in emerging consuming centers, significantly widening the addressable market beyond their traditional metropolitan bailiwicks, ET had reported in locations, such as Lucknow , Vizag, Jaipur, Cochin, Siliguri, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar and Patna, private equity investors believe, hold great growth potential in healthcare, in lockstep with an increasing affordability quotient in tier- 2 or 3 towns, and a greater availability of qualified doctors and specialists. PE funds are looking for players that will give higher returns - and blockbuster exits when the investments run their course. ADVERTISEMENT 'A trifecta of factors is helping accelerate investor interest in the single specialty healthcare chains including significant growth opportunity in tier 2/3 cities, clearly visible unit economics and viability with best in class ROIs,' Vishal Bali, executive chairman, Asia Healthcare Holdings (AHH), a leading healthcare investment platform, with focus on single specialities like oncology, women and child care, fertility, urology and nephrology, had told ET. 'AHH has been the inflection point for Single speciality healthcare with all our companies in single speciality healthcare delivering consistent growth in revenues, ebitda and geographical reach along with ROIs' he PE monies in treatment areas such as IVF, nephrology, eye-care, oncology, mother & childcare among others, have become a credible prescription for future value creation, after nearly a decade-long hunt for multi-speciality assets across the country. According to an analysis done by Avendus, single-speciality hospitals account for over 40% of all PE investments in healthcare since 2019. This was just a bit over 15% between 2015 and 2018. Between 2020 and early 2025, the segment recorded 24 PE/VC investments totalling $1.8 billion, with 19 of those deals worth $1.2 billion closing in the last two years alone, shows data put together by Grant Thornton. ADVERTISEMENT Over the period of two years from 2022-24 Hospitals in India have become one of the preferred investment destination for Investors, attracting net investment of $4.96 billion from Private Equity and $3.2 billion through Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). ADVERTISEMENT As per a report prepared by consultancy firm Grant Thornton Bharat in collaboration with the Association of Healthcare providers of India (AHPI), from 2022-24 hospitals in India undertook M&A deals worth $6.74 billion and attracted $4.96 billion from Private Equity (PE) investors. During the period, hospitals also raised $466 million through Initial Public Offering (IPO). The report which analysed 594 M&A and private equity transactions that took place during the period states that, 'Hospitals require diverse funding solutions to sustain growth, ranging from equity financing, debt financing, and foreign direct investment (FDI) to public-private partnerships (PPPs).' As per the investment analysis, the top three investment via PE route includes: Temasek Holdings $2 billion investment in Manipal Health (2023); $656 million by BPEA EQT in Indira IVF (2023); and lastly Blackstone Group $591.1 million investment in Quality Care (2023). A recent big deal was by a New York-based global private-equity and investment company, KKR, which in February bought a controlling stake in leading cancer care hospital chain Healthcare Global (HCG) from private equity peer CVC Capital Partners for nearly $400 million. By acquiring Baby Memorial Hospital last year, KKR made a comeback to the sector after one of its biggest paydays in India exiting Max Healthcare two years ago. ADVERTISEMENT Deal-making in India's healthcare sector has surged in recent years, with hospitals now commanding the largest share of foreign direct investment (FDI) within the sector, TOI had reported in December. In FY24, hospitals accounted for 50% of the FDI in total healthcare, translating to $1.5 billion. This marks a significant increase, as the share of hospitals in healthcare FDI has more than doubled from 24% in FY21, and has been rising from 43% in FY20, underscoring their growing prominence. The trend also reflects a strengthening investor preference for hospitals, alongside the traditionally favoured pharmaceuticals strong private equity interest in India's healthcare services companies is a highly credible indicator of the multi-decade growth potential inherent in the sector, as per a top executive at European investment bank Rothschild & Co. "We expect to see expansion of interest as international players evaluate the market and get more comfortable with the domestic landscape," Hedley Goldberg, partner and global head of healthcare services at Rothschild & Co, told ET in an interview in January. Besides a number of private equity deals, the hospital sector is also attracting big Indian businesses. While several corporates such as Tata, Birla and Hinduja have a presence in healthcare, none has made a significant pan-India presence. But the Bajaj Group is preparing to enter the healthcare sector by setting up a chain of hospitals in metros across the country., ET had reported last year. As per Bloomberg, it has earmarked Rs 10,000 crore as an initial investment. In recent years, healthcare companies and hospitals in India have been increasingly focussing on acquiring buildings and properties to expand their operations and strengthen their market presence. This trend is driven by the rising demand for quality healthcare services in urban and semi-urban areas, fuelled by a growing population, increasing health awareness and better insurance coverage. In December last year, billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries acquired technology-driven and oncology-focused healthcare platform Karkinos for Rs 375 crore. Reliance bought it under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC). The healthcare sector, particularly hospitals, witnessed major expansion during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, after the situation eased, it became difficult for many standalone hospitals to sustain their businesses. Such hospitals have been seeing interest from two sets of bidders — those already in the industry and seeking to expand and those who want to turn around such entities before they sell to someone else. Promoter-driven strategic investment firms and hospital operators are scouting for stressed healthcare assets that they can acquire through the insolvency and bankruptcy process, as private equity firms often edge them out in the race for good assets by offering lofty the pharmaceuticals sector, including APIs (active pharmaceutical ingredients), has been the investor favourite, attracting multi-billion-dollar deals. However, post-Covid, the hospital and diagnostics sector has come into the spotlight, drawing a wave of investors. The Indian hospital sector market cap surged 9x from Rs 37,500 crore in FY20 to Rs 3.5 lakh crore, brokerage firm JM Financial said last year in July. At a time when the sector was grappling with inefficiencies, high leverage and low ROCEs, Covid provided a much-needed impetus. This came from improved pricing, higher insurance coverage and dedicated shift towards complex surgeries such as transplants. India's top listed hospital chains performed well in the stock market leading up to this year. Apollo Hospitals' shares climbed 28% in 2024, while Max Healthcare Institute Ltd. soared 64%. The Indian hospital industry is poised to post a healthy compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 12% over the next three fiscal years, credit rating agency CareEdge Ratings said last year. Growing incidence of lifestyle diseases and easing demand for affordable health care delivery are driving the healthcare market in India. A report released last year by HSBC Global Research on India hospitals said seven listed hospitals will add 14,000 beds in the next 3-5 years. A total of 22,000 new beds is expected, including those by other private hospital chains. Even with these additions, there will be no over-supply of beds in India. The report said that the addition of beds is triple the number of beds added between FY19-24 at 4,000. Most hospitals are now in a consolidation phase and planning to expand and add sees growth opportunities after making profits between FY19-24 because of low capex. A World Health Organisation (WHO) report said last year that India has only 16 beds per 10,000 people, which is abysmally low if compared with most of the developed and emerging markets. India requires 100,000 additional beds in the next 5-7 years just to meet its healthcare demand on the back of increasing non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cardiac disorders, and cancer., as per the HSBC report. The government's push to turn India into a global healthcare hub by promoting medical tourism is another strong growth driver for the hospital sector.
Time of India
30-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Big money is making a beeline for Indian hospitals
Indian hospitals are the new goldmine for deep pockets. Besides a rush of investment, a high-intensity consolidation is ongoing in India's hospital space. As per an ET report based on information from sources, IPO-bound Manipal Health Enterprises is leading the race to acquire Sahyadri Hospitals with a Rs 6,838 crore ($800 million) bid. Global investment firm Blackstone is a close second, sources said. IHH Healthcare-backed Fortis Healthcare and EQT Partners also submitted bids on June 23, which was the last day to submit binding financial bids. Also Read: Manipal Health Enterprises leads race to buy Sahyadri Hospitals The Pune-headquartered hospital chain, which operates 11 facilities across Pune, Nashik, Ahilya Nagar and Karad, comprising 1,300 beds, 2,500 clinicians and 3,500 support staff, is owned by Canada's pension fund Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP), which had acquired Sahyadri from Everstone Capital in August 2022 at a valuation of around Rs 2,500 crore, outbidding Max Healthcare. Everstone had bought the hospital chain three years earlier in 2019 from its founder, neurosurgeon Charudutt Apte, for about Rs 1,000 crore. The big money chasing Sahyadri for past several years is emblematic of the attraction Indian hospitals, especially smaller chains, have come to hold in recent times. Small-town hospitals are pulling big money Bulge-bracket private equity funds are increasingly investing in single-specialty Indian hospital chains that present a robust growth potential in emerging consuming centers, significantly widening the addressable market beyond their traditional metropolitan bailiwicks, ET had reported in April. Live Events Non-metro locations, such as Lucknow , Vizag, Jaipur, Cochin, Siliguri, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar and Patna, private equity investors believe, hold great growth potential in healthcare, in lockstep with an increasing affordability quotient in tier- 2 or 3 towns, and a greater availability of qualified doctors and specialists. PE funds are looking for players that will give higher returns - and blockbuster exits when the investments run their course. 'A trifecta of factors is helping accelerate investor interest in the single specialty healthcare chains including significant growth opportunity in tier 2/3 cities, clearly visible unit economics and viability with best in class ROIs,' Vishal Bali, executive chairman, Asia Healthcare Holdings (AHH), a leading healthcare investment platform, with focus on single specialities like oncology, women and child care, fertility, urology and nephrology, had told ET. 'AHH has been the inflection point for Single speciality healthcare with all our companies in single speciality healthcare delivering consistent growth in revenues, ebitda and geographical reach along with ROIs' he said. Parking PE monies in treatment areas such as IVF, nephrology, eye-care, oncology, mother & childcare among others, have become a credible prescription for future value creation, after nearly a decade-long hunt for multi-speciality assets across the country. According to an analysis done by Avendus, single-speciality hospitals account for over 40% of all PE investments in healthcare since 2019. This was just a bit over 15% between 2015 and 2018. Between 2020 and early 2025, the segment recorded 24 PE/VC investments totalling $1.8 billion, with 19 of those deals worth $1.2 billion closing in the last two years alone, shows data put together by Grant Thornton. Billions of dollars pour into hospital sector Over the period of two years from 2022-24 Hospitals in India have become one of the preferred investment destination for Investors, attracting net investment of $4.96 billion from Private Equity and $3.2 billion through Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). As per a report prepared by consultancy firm Grant Thornton Bharat in collaboration with the Association of Healthcare providers of India (AHPI), from 2022-24 hospitals in India undertook M&A deals worth $6.74 billion and attracted $4.96 billion from Private Equity (PE) investors. During the period, hospitals also raised $466 million through Initial Public Offering (IPO). The report which analysed 594 M&A and private equity transactions that took place during the period states that, 'Hospitals require diverse funding solutions to sustain growth, ranging from equity financing, debt financing, and foreign direct investment (FDI) to public-private partnerships (PPPs).' As per the investment analysis, the top three investment via PE route includes: Temasek Holdings $2 billion investment in Manipal Health (2023); $656 million by BPEA EQT in Indira IVF (2023); and lastly Blackstone Group $591.1 million investment in Quality Care (2023). A recent big deal was by a New York-based global private-equity and investment company, KKR, which in February bought a controlling stake in leading cancer care hospital chain Healthcare Global (HCG) from private equity peer CVC Capital Partners for nearly $400 million. By acquiring Baby Memorial Hospital last year, KKR made a comeback to the sector after one of its biggest paydays in India exiting Max Healthcare two years ago. Deal-making in India's healthcare sector has surged in recent years, with hospitals now commanding the largest share of foreign direct investment (FDI) within the sector, TOI had reported in December. In FY24, hospitals accounted for 50% of the FDI in total healthcare, translating to $1.5 billion. This marks a significant increase, as the share of hospitals in healthcare FDI has more than doubled from 24% in FY21, and has been rising from 43% in FY20, underscoring their growing prominence. The trend also reflects a strengthening investor preference for hospitals, alongside the traditionally favoured pharmaceuticals sector. The strong private equity interest in India's healthcare services companies is a highly credible indicator of the multi-decade growth potential inherent in the sector, as per a top executive at European investment bank Rothschild & Co. "We expect to see expansion of interest as international players evaluate the market and get more comfortable with the domestic landscape," Hedley Goldberg, partner and global head of healthcare services at Rothschild & Co, told ET in an interview in January. Besides a number of private equity deals, the hospital sector is also attracting big Indian businesses. While several corporates such as Tata , Birla and Hinduja have a presence in healthcare, none has made a significant pan-India presence. But the Bajaj Group is preparing to enter the healthcare sector by setting up a chain of hospitals in metros across the country., ET had reported last year. As per Bloomberg, it has earmarked Rs 10,000 crore as an initial investment. In recent years, healthcare companies and hospitals in India have been increasingly focussing on acquiring buildings and properties to expand their operations and strengthen their market presence. This trend is driven by the rising demand for quality healthcare services in urban and semi-urban areas, fuelled by a growing population, increasing health awareness and better insurance coverage. Hunt for stressed assets In December last year, billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries acquired technology-driven and oncology-focused healthcare platform Karkinos for Rs 375 crore. Reliance bought it under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC). The healthcare sector, particularly hospitals, witnessed major expansion during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, after the situation eased, it became difficult for many standalone hospitals to sustain their businesses. Such hospitals have been seeing interest from two sets of bidders — those already in the industry and seeking to expand and those who want to turn around such entities before they sell to someone else. Promoter-driven strategic investment firms and hospital operators are scouting for stressed healthcare assets that they can acquire through the insolvency and bankruptcy process, as private equity firms often edge them out in the race for good assets by offering lofty valuations. Why India's hospital sector has turned so hot Historically, the pharmaceuticals sector, including APIs (active pharmaceutical ingredients), has been the investor favourite, attracting multi-billion-dollar deals. However, post-Covid, the hospital and diagnostics sector has come into the spotlight, drawing a wave of investors. The Indian hospital sector market cap surged 9x from Rs 37,500 crore in FY20 to Rs 3.5 lakh crore, brokerage firm JM Financial said last year in July. At a time when the sector was grappling with inefficiencies, high leverage and low ROCEs, Covid provided a much-needed impetus. This came from improved pricing, higher insurance coverage and dedicated shift towards complex surgeries such as transplants. India's top listed hospital chains performed well in the stock market leading up to this year. Apollo Hospitals' shares climbed 28% in 2024, while Max Healthcare Institute Ltd. soared 64%. The Indian hospital industry is poised to post a healthy compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 12% over the next three fiscal years, credit rating agency CareEdge Ratings said last year. Growing incidence of lifestyle diseases and easing demand for affordable health care delivery are driving the healthcare market in India. A report released last year by HSBC Global Research on India hospitals said seven listed hospitals will add 14,000 beds in the next 3-5 years. A total of 22,000 new beds is expected, including those by other private hospital chains. Even with these additions, there will be no over-supply of beds in India. The report said that the addition of beds is triple the number of beds added between FY19-24 at 4,000. Most hospitals are now in a consolidation phase and planning to expand and add sees growth opportunities after making profits between FY19-24 because of low capex. A World Health Organisation (WHO) report said last year that India has only 16 beds per 10,000 people, which is abysmally low if compared with most of the developed and emerging markets. India requires 100,000 additional beds in the next 5-7 years just to meet its healthcare demand on the back of increasing non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, cardiac disorders, and cancer., as per the HSBC report. The government's push to turn India into a global healthcare hub by promoting medical tourism is another strong growth driver for the hospital sector.
Mint
05-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
GIC-backed Asia Healthcare Holdings to acquire Dr Dangs Labs
MUMBAI : Asia Healthcare Holdings (AHH), backed by Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC, is set to acquire a majority stake in Dr Dangs Labs, a diagnostic chain operating in Delhi and Gurugram, according to two people aware of the development. This marks the fourth acquisition by AHH, following previous deals with Motherhood Hospitals, the Asian Institute of Nephrology and Urology (AINU), and Nova IVF. Details of the financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Read this | Singles are hot: Why private equity firms are increasingly investing in these hospitals AHH's earlier investment in AINU in 2023, valued at ₹ 600 crore, involved both primary and secondary funding. AHH has also seen significant capital inflows, including a $150 million investment from GIC in December 2024, which made the sovereign fund the largest shareholder in the company. GIC had also invested $170 million in AHH in February 2022. Before GIC's additional investment, AHH was majority-owned by global private equity firm TPG, which now holds a minority stake in the platform. The GIC investment likely valued AHH at $800-900 million, Mint reported earlier. With plans to eventually go public, AHH is gearing up for an initial public offering (IPO), although no timeline has been provided. According to Vishal Bali, executive chairman of AHH, profitability is not a concern as the company moves towards its listing, which is expected within the next few years. Dr Dangs Labs operates seven centres across Delhi and Gurugram and reported a revenue of ₹ 67.7 crore for the financial year ended 31 March 2024, according to Tracxn. Read this | Jashvik Capital to acquire over 50% stake in Smart Vision Eye Hospitals Bali has reportedly said that AHH is growing at 25% year-on-year and aims to reach nearly ₹ 6,000 crore in revenue by FY32. AHH declined to comment on the acquisition, and Dr Dangs Labs did not respond to an email request for information at the time of publication. India's healthcare and diagnostics sector has seen a sharp uptick in private equity investments and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in recent years. According to a report by Grant Thornton Bharat and the Association of Healthcare Providers of India (AHPI), India's healthcare and pharma sector recorded 594 transactions valued at over $30 billion between 2022 and 2024. Foreign direct investment (FDI) in the sector also rose, totalling $3.2 billion during the same period. Also read | India's fragmented hospital sector ripe for consolidation: Rothchild's Hollamby In recent months, there have been notable deals within the diagnostics space. Neuberg Diagnostics raised ₹ 9,400 million from Kotak Alt in January 2025, marking the largest primary fund-raise in Indian diagnostics and the company's first private equity round. Meanwhile, Temasek Holdings and Oswal Alternates jointly invested approximately $85 million in Molbio Diagnostics in 2024, and Fortis Healthcare increased its stake in Agilus Diagnostics from 57% to 91% by acquiring a 34% stake from private equity firms Jacob Ballas and IFC.
Web Release
22-04-2025
- Health
- Web Release
Global Health Experts appointed to Judge Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award 2025, to be held in Dubai
Aster DM Healthcare, one of the largest integrated healthcare provider in the GCC and India, has unveiled the distinguished Grand Jury for the Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award 2025 in Dubai, UAE. This esteemed panel comprises of five leading healthcare experts: Prof. Sheila Tlou, Co-Chairperson of the Global HIV Prevention Coalition, Botswana, Special Ambassador of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance and Former Minister of Health, Botswana; Prof. James Buchan, Adjunct Professor at the WHO Collaborating Centre, University of Technology, Sydney, and Editor Emeritus of the Human Resources for Health Journal; Dr. Peter Carter, OBE Awardee and Independent Healthcare Consultant, Former CEO Central & Northwest London, NHS and Former CEO of Royal College of Nursing, UK; Dr. Niti Pall, President Elect at International Diabetes Federation, Senior Consultant at AXA EssentiAll, France and Board Chair of Harbr & Managing Director of Health4all Advisory, UK and Mr. Vishal Bali, Executive Chairman of Asia Healthcare Holdings & Senior Advisor, TPG Growth, and General Council Member, Neonates Foundation of India. Reflecting on the remarkable entries this year, Dr Azad Moopen, Founder Chairman, Aster DM Healthcare said, 'As we approach the 4thedition of Aster Guardians Global Nursing Awards, it is inspiring to witness the platform's evolution and its profound impact on the global nursing community. This year has seen an exceptional response from nurses worldwide, with over 100,000 registrations pouring in from 199 countries. The task ahead for our esteemed panel of judges is both exciting and challenging, as they shortlist 10 finalists of accomplished nurses making significant contributions in their respective fields and communities. One of these outstanding nurses will win the prestigious award, accompanied by a prize fund of USD 250,000.' 'We are thankful to our Grand Jury members who have believed in the cause and supported the initiative over the years, shaping it's growth journey. I am also excited to welcome Mr. Vishal Bali, Executive Chairman of Asia Healthcare Holdings, to the Grand Jury for this edition. With his vast experience in transforming healthcare systems and his dedication to advancing global healthcare, he brings invaluable expertise and a unique perspective to this prestigious panel' he added. Mr. Vishal Bali, who joins the Grand Jury for Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award this year, brings over 30 years of global healthcare leadership and a deep commitment to advancing excellence in patient care, making him a distinguished addition to the panel. On joining the Grand Jury for AGGNA 2025, he commented 'Nursing is a combination of intelligence, care and compassion. Nurses symbolise positivity, hope and change. These exceptional individuals are a critical part of our society as they devote themselves to the well-being of others, passionately helping and supporting their patients. They are sympathetic and empathetic. The Aster Guardians Global nursing award is an outstanding initiative to recognise and celebrate nurses who have made a career long contribution to nursing practice, resulting in a legacy of improved healthcare outcomes for individuals, communities and the wider global population. I am thrilled to be a part of this grand jury.' Professor Sheila Tlou, a former Minister of Health of Botswana, has shaped national nursing and medical education programs. She commented 'As a lifelong advocate for healthcare equity and nursing education, I have seen the critical role nurses play in transforming lives. Being a part of the Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award's Grand Jury once again, I am continually inspired by the extraordinary work nurses do across the world, often in the most challenging circumstances. This platform is a testament to their invaluable contributions to global healthcare.' Professor James Buchan, a seasoned policymaker and health systems expert, serves as an Adjunct Professor at the WHO Collaborating Centre, University of Technology, Sydney, and is the Editor Emeritus of the Human Resources for Health Journal. He commented 'Nurses are the backbone of healthcare systems worldwide, providing essential care and leadership in times of crisis and beyond. Having been on the jury since the inception of the awards, I have witnessed firsthand the incredible stories of innovation, perseverance, and impact from nurses in every corner of the world. This award is a vital initiative that not only celebrates their contributions but also elevates the profession's visibility and influence on healthcare policy and delivery.' Dr. Peter Carter, Former CEO Central & Northwest London, NHS, former CEO of the Royal College of Nursing UK and an independent healthcare consultant, boasts diverse experience, holding prestigious fellowships and receiving honors such as the OBE for his NHS service. Since his tenure at the RCN, he has worked nationally and internationally. He commented 'Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of working with outstanding nurses whose skills and dedication transform healthcare. Recognizing and rewarding excellence in nursing is crucial, and the Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award does just that – celebrating those who go above and beyond to advance patient care and the profession itself.' Dr. Niti Pall, the President Elect at International Diabetes Federation, Senior Consultant EssentiAll, France and Board Chair of Harbr & Managing Director of Health4all Advisory, UK, is a visionary clinical leader with a passion for delivering quality primary care. While practicing in Birmingham, UK, Dr. Pall has made impactful contributions to healthcare in 44 countries. She said 'Innovation in healthcare is impossible without the contributions of nurses, who are at the heart of patient-centered care. Recognizing their role in improving health outcomes and pioneering new approaches is crucial. As a returning jury member, I have seen extraordinary examples of nurses reshaping healthcare with their passion and commitment. It is an honour to once again be a part of this initiative that shines a spotlight on their invaluable work.' Aster has appointed Ernst & Young LLP (EY) as 'Process Advisors' to independently review the applications based on the defined eligibility criteria, moderate evaluation of the entries by an independent panel of experts and present a list of shortlisted candidates to the Grand Jury to determine the winner.
