Chinese private hospital to buy largest EU eye clinic group

Beijing : China’s largest private ophthalmic medical chain Aier Eye Hospital has said it will buy Europe’s biggest eye clinic group for over USD 160 million.

Aier Eye Hospital said it will purchase Spain’s Clinica Baviera S A, the largest eye clinic group in Europe, by spending USD 161 million to buy 59.3 per cent of shares in Baviera through its subsidiary in Europe.

Chen Bang, chairman of the board of Aier Eye Group, described the purchase as “an important milestone” in the firm’s development, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Aier is China’s largest private ophthalmic medical chain institution and went public on the Shenzhen stock market in 2009. By 2016, it had developed more than 160 specialised eye hospitals in China.

It acquired a medical group in Hong Kong in 2015 and a US eye center in January 2017.

Baviera, specialising in the laser eye surgery, has nearly 300 ophthalmologists and 76 eye clinics in Europe.

Its market share in laser eye surgery ranks first in Spain and Germany.