The financial group Penta is planning further investments into the Czech health sector, as plans to develop a network of hospitals around the country have been revealed. Hospodarske noviny reports that the health sector currently makes up 40 percent of the group’s entire value. The company is already expanding its chain of Dr.Max pharmacies, but the head of Penta’s health division Václav Jirků told the paper “My goal for 2015 is to secure a hospital.” The group’s plans will be made more difficult by the fact that the sale of hospitals is up to regional authorities, and is thus a political issue. Penta is also looking for hospital investments in Slovakia. Its Czech Dr.Max network of pharmacies currently enjoys roughly 25 percent market share, and the entire network, with 880 outlets in the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia, produces €930m in annual revenues.
