With this entry into the German market, Bergman strengthens its position in north-western Europe.
The
Bergman Clinics Group is taking a further step in the expansion of its international position in the field of programmed medical care. The company is now entering the German market with the planned acquisition of six clinics of Capio origin, integrated within the
Ramsay Santé group. This step follows an earlier acquisition in Scandinavia and strengthens Bergman's position in North-Western Europe. These German clinics specialise in venous and ophthalmic surgery; two of them are regional general hospitals. By expanding into North-Western Europe, Bergman Clinics aims to create an international platform for highly specialised programmed medical care.
The acquisition of these clinics allows Bergman Clinics to enter the largest European care market, which has a long tradition of programmed medical care operated by specialised clinics, whose fragmentation still offers many opportunities for consolidation and economies of scale. This is an important step in the growth strategy of the Bergman Clinics group, in particular thanks to the two regional general hospitals with a specialisation in orthopaedics which enable Bergman to obtain the necessary licences to continue its expansion in Germany and to consider the acquisition of other specialised clinics.
The Bergman Clinics group will also focus in Germany on high quality and competitively priced treatment for patients. In addition, this change in size allows the group to achieve synergies. The German care activities will also contribute to the benchmarking of results between the different clinics, enabling Bergman Clinics to continuously improve its care performance. In addition, the German clinics will provide a platform for innovations in digital care.
Approximately 200,000 patients are treated annually in the six clinics, of which about 180,000 are outpatient treatments for scheduled interventions in the fields of vein and eye surgery. Twenty thousand patients receive regional inpatient clinical care. The six clinics employ around 900 care professionals, including 150 doctors, and have a capacity of 540 beds. Most of the clinics are located in central Germany, with one in southern Bavaria. Bergman has the firm ambition to expand its activities, using the knowledge, experience and methods implemented in its other facilities, as well as through mergers and acquisitions. The main specialities to be developed are orthopaedics, ophthalmology, venous and aesthetic surgery.
We have been working on this project for a year. The process was delayed because of Covid-19, but it is very positive that we can now take this step. In order to achieve a leading position in our market in North-Western Europe, we need to have a presence in Germany. We now have access to a potential that offers enormous possibilities for the benefit of our customers and patients. Our employees in the Netherlands and Scandinavia will be able to benefit from the knowledge and professionalism of our German colleagues and, at the same time, we will be able to pass on to German clinics the good practices developed in our other clinics. In addition, this pooling of forces will give us greater scope to invest in technological innovations, digitisation and training.
Hans van der Heijden, CEO of Bergman Clinics
The Ramsay Santé Group's strategy is to strengthen our presence in territories where we have the capacity to become a leader in the health sector. We came to the conclusion that it would be very complex for us to achieve this in Germany. We have therefore accepted the offer of the Bergman group, whose expertise and development projects will be positive for patients and teams.
Pascal Roché, CEO of the Ramsay Health group
The acquisition is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2020.