The 13-story Lilavati hospital being built in GIFT City will deploy helicopters to provide air ambulance services, said Prashant Mehta, permanent trustee of the premier multi-speciality hospital, during his visit to Gujarat, Monday. The first phase of the under-construction hospital will be operational by March 2025, he added.

“For GIFT City, we will have a helicopter facility for providing air ambulance services. This will be the first of its kind for Gujarat. We will be building a helipad near the hospital for this purpose. This facility will help in organ transplants as well,” Mehta said, adding that talks are underway with two air ambulance providers for beginning operations in GIFT City. Officials said Lilavati hospital will have to buy the land for the helipad and will also have to maintain the helipad for providing air ambulance services.

“Our 350-bed hospital in GIFT City is under construction. We have completed four floors. We are expecting to start operations on the first four floors by March 2025. We will be fully operational by August 2025,” Mehta said while speaking to media persons here. The hospital in GIFT City is spread over six lakh square feet. “For GIFT City, we are affiliated with Mayo Clinic of the USA. We are tied up for doctors’ and nurses training and technology transfers,” he added. The cost of the hospital being built in GIFT City has risen to an estimated Rs 530 crore.

On Monday, Mehta formally opened the Lilavati Clinic and Wellness Centre in Ahmedabad, which will later act as a “feeder” to the Lilavati hospital in GIFT City. The new clinic, spread over 8,000 square feet, can handle 150 patients in a day. “Our vision is to open five hospitals across India in the next five years. We will be investing around ₹4,000 crore. These hospitals with 300-500 beds will be in Assam, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad. We are also looking to start 500 pharmacies in the next five years,” Mehta added.