Financial Performance of Private Sector Hospitals in India: Some Further Evidence

Abstract

This paper analyses financial performance of private hospitals. The study is based on financial statement data of private hospitals for the years 1999 to 2004. Using 25 key financial ratios, the study finds six key financial dimensions. These are: fixed assets age, current assets efficiency, operating efficiency, financial structure, surplus/profit appropriation, and financial profitability/operating cost ratio. The findings suggest that over the years hospitals have shown marginal improvement in financial performance. Though the total amount of debt is not high, it is the cost of debt and ability to service the debt which is making debt burden high for hospitals. The financial risks in this sector are high because of lower profitability and lower operating efficiencies. We discuss the implications of the results.