New Delhi, May 20 -- Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd (AHEL), the country's largest listed hospital chain by beds, is betting on its planned capacity expansion as well as its clinical programmes and expertise to maintain its lead in an increasingly competitive private healthcare market, its top management said.

The hospital chain, which commissioned four hospitals in Pune, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Delhi in FY26, plans to add about 1,500 beds in the next 12-18 months. This includes beds in the new hospitals as well as existing ones.

"We think capacity is a strategically important lever. it will place us as the largest player substantially in terms of bed capacity. But beyond that, if you look at the growth that we've seen reported, that is ...