Pune: Expanding awareness through nationwide campaigns and working with the Centre and state govts to bring advanced treatment for anorectal conditions under govt-sponsored health schemes for underprivileged patients will be the next focus, city-based anorectal surgeon Dr Ashwin Porwal said on Tuesday, outlining the expansion plans of his proctology chain Healing Hands Clinic (HHC) following a global investment.L Catterton, a global consumer-focused private equity firm managing nearly $40 billion in assets and having invested in more than 300 brands worldwide, has invested in HHC.The investment is significant as it is L Catterton’s first healthcare services investment in India. “We need to take the conversation around anorectal health out of the realm of embarrassment and make people understand that persistent pain, bleeding or other symptoms should not be ignored,” said Dr Porwal, who founded HHC in Pune in 2013.HHC plans to expand from its current 40 centres to 100 over the next two years. Dr Porwal said the expansion will focus not only on increasing the availability of specialist treatment but also on improving awareness and access. The chain plans to use the investment to expand its presence, strengthen its technology and clinical capabilities, and reach patients beyond major urban centres.“L Catterton’s central investment thesis remains remarkably simple: identify categories consumers are likely to spend more on tomorrow than they do today,” said HHC co-founder and CEO Roshan Porwal, who created the franchise-led expansion model that scaled HHC from a single centre in Pune to 40 clinics across 14 cities. He also led discussions that culminated in the L Catterton investment.As part of the expansion, the clinic on Tuesday launched a national 24×7 helpline offering free guidance on anorectal conditions, and announced plans to train 30 to 40 proctologists every year through its MUHS-certified fellowship and courses certified by Italian colorectal surgeon Dr Antonio Longo.
