Hemas says interested in buying govt. owned Lanka Hospitals' shares

The Hemas Group has expressed interest in buying shares in Lanka Hospitals Corporation PLC (LHCL) should the government decide to divest these shares.

Hemas in an announcement to the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) on Friday said that as a group it has been exploring opportunities in the sectors that they operate in.  "We noted the interest expressed by the Government in disposing of shares in ventures such as LHCL. We have therefore, expressed our interest in pursuing this opportunity once the government initiates the official process,” it said.

This came on the back of Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake delivering the 2016 budget in parliament saying that the government is keen to streamline its portfolio of investments and will therefore exit partially or fully from those non-strategic investments in Lanka Hospitals, Hotel Developers PLC (Colombo Hilton), Hyatt Residencies, Waters Edge, Grand Oriental Hotel, Ceylinco Hospital and Mobitel by listing such investments in the Colombo Stock Exchange during 2016.

"We have been in the healthcare sector for a number of years as an innovative leader and have won the hearts and minds of our customers. We are confident of our ability to contribute significantly to the Sri Lankan healthcare services," the Hemas announcement added.

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