Dr. Agarwal's Health Care stated it raised $80 million from existing investors Singapore's Temasek and U.S.-based TPG as the Indian eye hospital operator plans to double its hospital count. The top shareholder of publicly traded Dr. Agarwal's Eye Hospitals plans to operate 300 hospitals by the end of 2025. It currently has over 150 hospitals, including in African countries like Nigeria and Kenya.

Shares of Dr. Agarwal's Eye Hospitals rose as much as 10.3% after the announcement before paring some gains to last trade up 4.2%. Dr. Agarwal will invest over 12 billion rupees ($144.45 million) to set up new hospitals in India and 10 centers in the African countries of Kenya, Zambia, and Tanzania, it said in a press release. The fundraising also comes over a year after Dr. Agarwal's - founded in 1957 in the southern Indian city of Chennai - closed a funding round of 10.50 billion rupees from Temasek and TPG Growth, the middle market-focused arm of TPG.

Private care is becoming more and more popular in India due to a growing and aging population, as well as a rise in income levels. The pandemic has sharpened people's focus on health and wellness. Spotting the trend, global investors are scouting the around $48 billion Indian private healthcare market, with Temasek itself spending $2 billion to lift its stake in multi-specialty chain Manipal Hospitals by 41% to 59%.