A consortium led by HMC Capital is considering buying assets from Brookfield-owned Healthscope, the debt-stricken Australian private hospital group.
Healthscope, which operates 38 private hospitals, is the second-largest private hospital group in Australia. It is widely reported to be seeking to refinance A$1.6bn (鈧�967m) of debt.
Healthscope鈥檚 financial situation has prompted speculation about potential buyers, including HMC Capital, for the hospital operator, which Brookfield acquired for A$4.4bn in 2019.
ASX-listed HealthCo Healthcare & Wellness REIT (HCW), managed by HMC Capital, already owns 11 of the private hospitals currently operated by Healthscope.
HMC Capital managing director, real estate, Sid Sharma, said during a briefing of the HCW results that it had been approached by the private equity arm of HMC Capital to join a consortium to buy out Healthscope.
鈥淗CW and UHF [unlisted healthcare fund] have been approached by capable and qualified parties to potentially tenant the 11 hospitals that we own,鈥� said Sharma.
鈥淲e understand HMC is in discussion with a broad group of key stakeholders regarding potential options. HWC will consider meaningful executable proposals and ensure that these hospitals continue to service the Australian communities that rely on them.鈥�
Sharma said: 鈥淲e recognise that the HCW unit price has continued to be impacted by speculation about Healthscope and have proactively prepared for a number of potential scenarios that could play out in the short term until a sustainable solution is found.
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