Gral Medical Implements 3 Development Projects

Gral Medical has reported 21.5 million RON in turnover at the end of H1, up by nearly 42% from the corresponding period of 2008. The overall results were supported by notable growth on the retail segment, as newly opened medical centres generated increasing revenues. Specifically, the revenue derived from this segment was 200% larger than in the first half of 2008.

"We have managed to put in place a complete chain of diagnosis services, including clinical diagnosis, laboratory diagnosis, medical imagery and daytime hospitalization. We achieved all this towards the end of last year, when the economic crisis was already noticeable in Romania. Our plan for this year is to consolidate the company on all segments," Gral Medical Managing Director Georgeta Serban told BURSA.

"We finalized three development projects in the first half of this year. The latest one is the opening of the Lithotripsy Centre (Fortlit). Patients suffering from renal lithiasis or ureterolithiasis now have the option to get treatment without any surgery, based on shockwaves generated on the skin and directed at the calculus shown on the echographic display," she added.

The prevention campaign organized by the company on this topic generated substantial feedback. The campaign was 95% Internet-based. "For us, the campaign was a new challenge and for the patients it created the opportunity to become informed about ambulatory treatment techniques. Such forms of treatments spare the discomfort of being hospitalized. Additionally, preliminary tests are free of charge," Georgeta Serban added.

The campaign organized for the early diagnosis of this condition attracted over 500 users logged online and was revisited by over 15,000 unique users. Over 50 persons made appointments for kidney stone tests in the first two weeks of the campaign. "People even called from Germany and Italy to make an appointment, because this procedure is much more expensive than here. The foreign patients who came to us realized that the stones had been removed after just a few applications of the treatment. They became better informed about their condition and this treatment due to the online counselling offered by our specialists," Serban added.

In addition to the Lithotripsy Centre, Gral Medical has also opened a Dialysis Centre of the Gral Medical Diagnosis Clinic. Also in the first half of the year, the company managed to convince the National Neurology Institute to outsource their laboratory services to the Clinic"s ninth laboratory.

Gral Medical is a Romanian-owned medical company ranking among the leading medical service providers in the country. Gral Medical is an important service provider to both the public and the private health care systems in the country. Gral Medical employs 420 doctors and nurses.

For the past nine years, Gral Medical has created a national network of diagnosis and treatment centres: 17 medical centres including 10 laboratories and four clinics, an imagery centre and two dental radiology centres. The company operates in the counties Dolj, Prahova, Sibiu, Arges and Bucharest.