Kolkata, Dec 2 (IANS): Healthcare major Apollo Hospitals' Rs.400 crore medical college and hospital with a capacity of 1,000 beds in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas will be completed by 2020, a company official said here Tuesday.

The 14 acre land in Batanagar in Kolkata's neighbouring South 24 Parganas district on which the Apollo Institute of Medical Sciences and Research is coming up has been provided by the West Bengal government free of cost.

"As the institute will be providing medical education besides the 1,000 bed hospital, the land has been provided to us by the state government free of cost with only a nominal lease rent to be paid," said chief executive officer (eastern region) Rupali Basu.

To be built in multiple stages, the first phase of the institute with 500 beds and 100 medical seats will be ready by 2017 while the whole project will be completed by 2020, she said.A

Besides the regular MBBS course, it would offer 18 other courses at the undergraduate and postgraduate level.

The Group also has plans to add at least five more hospitals across India in the next five years.

"This year we have added 1,000 beds to our existing capacity and according to our chairman Prathap C. Reddy, there are plans to add at least 5 more hospitals with 500 beds each in the next five years," added Basu.