Mercapital ups stake in Q Diagnóstica

Having previously acquired a 76% stake for €80m in 2009, the investor has now bought the 21.1% that Grupo 3A Recoletas held in the group. The remaining 2.9% has been retained by the management team.

The aim from this point onwards is to realise acquisitions of similar firms in Spain and Brazil, as the company is believed to have strong growth potential in these countries. The image diagnosis market is said to be stable and anti-cyclical in Spain because effective diagnosis helps to save costs. It presents an attractive medium- to long-term proposition for Mercapital due to the growing demand for health tests and the recent growth in outsourcing within public healthcare to 30%.

In July 2010, Mercapital backed Q Diagnóstica, previously known as Grupo Diagnóstico Recoletas, in acquiring hospital facility provider Policlínica Miramar. In December 2009 it supported its purchase of general hospital Centro Medico de Zamora.

Q Diagnóstica forms part of the portfolio of Mercapital's €550m Spanish Buyout Fund III.

Company
Based in Valladolid, and established in 1989, Q Diagnóstica provides its services to the public healthcare sector as well as health insurance firms. The company, which employs more than 200 people, has 36 diagnostic centres, including facilities such as imaging technology and PET diagnosis equipment. It recorded turnover in 2010 of €35m.

People
Carlos Barrallobre, partner, led the deal for Mercapital. Iñaki Eguia is the general manager of Q Diagnóstica.

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• Topics
• Southern Europe
• Expansion
• Healthcare
• Mercapital
• Spain