Rating Rationale
July 31, 2023 | Mumbai
 
Unihealth Consultancy Limited
'CRISIL BB-/Stable' assigned to Bank Debt
 
Rating Action
Total Bank Loan Facilities Rated Rs.2 Crore
Long Term Rating CRISIL BB-/Stable (Assigned)
Note: None of the Directors on CRISIL Ratings Limited’s Board are members of rating committee and thus do not participate in discussion or assignment of any ratings. The Board of Directors also does not discuss any ratings at its meetings.
1 crore = 10 million
Refer to Annexure for Details of Instruments & Bank Facilities

 

Detailed Rationale

CRISIL Ratings has assigned its 'CRISIL BB-/Stable' rating to the bank facilities of Unihealth Consultancy Limited (UCL).

 

The rating reflects the group's established operations through its subsidiaries in Africa and  expertise of the promoters in healthcare industry as well as adequate debt protection measures. These strengths are partially offset by high geographical concentration in the African region, aggressive capital structure and working capital intensive operations.

Analytical Approach

For arriving at its ratings, CRISIL Ratings has consolidated the business and financial risk profiles of UCL along with its subsidiaries and joint ventures - Aryavarta FZE, Bio Health Limited, Unihealth (T) Limited, Unihealth Uganda Limited, UMC Global Health Limited, Victoria Hospitals Limited, Unihealth Pharmaceuticals Private Limited and UHS Oncology Private Limited. This is because these entities, collectively referred to as the Unihealth group, are engaged in similar line of business and have significant operational and financial linkages.

 

Please refer Annexure - List of entities consolidated, which captures the list of entities considered and their analytical treatment of consolidation.

Key Rating Drivers & Detailed Description

Strengths:

  • Extensive experience of promoters in the healthcare industry and established operations: The promoters, Mr. Akshay Parmar and Dr. Anurag Shah have an established experience of more than a decade in the healthcare industry. This has enabled the establishment of network of hospitals and medical centers across Uganda, Nigeria and Tanzania, among others. Additionally, the group also provides project consultancy services, in setting and managing hospitals. The steady growth in operations, primarily in the Africa region, has resulted in a strong revenue growth from Rs 22 crores in fiscal 2020 to an estimated Rs 40-43 crores in fiscal 2023. The established experience of promoters and track record of managing operations should continue to support the groups business risk profile over the medium term.

 

  • Adequate debt protection measures: The group’s debt protection measures are adequate due to moderate profitability as reflected in interest coverage and net cash accrual to total debt (NCATD) ratios estimated at 3-4 times and 0.25-0.30 times for fiscal 2023 , (2.43 times and 0.16 times for fiscal 2022). The group’s debt protection measures are expected to remain at comfortable levels over the medium term, given stable profitability which is expected to continue.

 

Weakness:

  • High geographical concentration in Africa region: As the group derives a bulk of its revenues from African countries such as Uganda, Tanzania and Nigeria, it exposes it to significant risk of geographical diversification. The groups revenues thus remain susceptible to the geopolitical environment in the region including regulatory changes or occurrence of any events which could impact the business risk profile.

 

  • Aggressive capital structure: Networth is modest and estimated at around Rs 14-16 crores as on March 31,2023 after remaining negative over the past due to operating losses suffered. However, networth should improve over the medium term backed by steady accretion to reserves. The capital structure is aggressive as reflected in gearing and total outside liabilities to adjusted networth of around 2-2.5 times and 3-3.5 times respectively as on March 31, 2023, due to moderate reliance on external debt and modest networth. Capital structure should improve over the medium term and remains a key monitorable.

 

  • Working capital intensive operations: The working capital cycle is intensive as reflected in gross current assets which ranged at 250-260 days as on March 31, 2023  due to high debtors of 200-220 days and moderate inventory of 15-20 days. Debtors are high due to extended credit period of 6-9 months primarily extended to government customers. Working capital cycle is expected to continue to remain intensive over the medium term.

Liquidity: Stretched

Bank limit utilization is moderate at around 67.7 percent for the past seven months ended June 2023. Cash accrual are expected to be over Rs 10-12 crores should be sufficient against term debt obligation of Rs 7 crore over the medium term in fiscals 2024 and 2025. Liquidity is further supported in the form of unsecured loans from promoters with need-based funding support expected to continue. Cash and cash equivalents stood at Rs 1.58 crores as on December 31,2022.

Outlook: Stable

CRISIL Ratings believe the group will continue to benefit from the extensive experience of its promoter, and established operations.

Rating Sensitivity factors

Upward factors

* Sustained improvement in revenues and operating margins resulting in higher net cash accruals

* Significant improvement in financial risk profile with TOLANW below 3 times

 

Downward factors

* Decline in revenues and operating profitability resulting in net cash accruals lower than Rs 8 crore

* Further stretch in working capital cycle impacting the liquidity profile

About the Group

UCL, part of the Unihealth group was incorporated in 2010 by Mr. Anurag Shah and Mr. Akshay Parmar, as Unihealth Consultancy Private Limited and later reconstituted as a public limited company in 2023. Headquartered in Mumbai, UCL operates in the field of medical tourism and hospital management, and distributorship of medical equipment. The company also operates and manages hospitals and medical centers in Africa though its subsidiaries.

 

The company is in process of getting listed on Small and Medium Enterprise (“SME”) platform of National Stock Exchange (NSE).

Key Financial Indicators

As on/for the period ended March 31

 Unit

2022

2021

Operating income

Rs crore

37.04

26.77

Reported profit after tax

Rs crore

3.79

4.95

PAT margins

%

10.24

18.50

Adjusted Debt/Adjusted Networth

Times

5.41

12.82

Interest coverage

Times

2.36

6.13

 

Any other informationNot applicable

Note on complexity levels of the rated instrument:
CRISIL Ratings` complexity levels are assigned to various types of financial instruments and are included (where applicable) in the 'Annexure - Details of Instrument' in this Rating Rationale.

CRISIL Ratings will disclose complexity level for all securities - including those that are yet to be placed - based on available information. The complexity level for instruments may be updated, where required, in the rating rationale published subsequent to the issuance of the instrument when details on such features are available.

For more details on the CRISIL Ratings` complexity levels please visit www.crisilratings.com. Users may also call the Customer Service Helpdesk with queries on specific instruments.

Annexure - Details of Instrument(s)

ISIN Name of instrument Date of Allotment Coupon Rate (%) Maturity Date Issue Size (Rs.Cr) Complexity Level Rating Assigned
NA Overdraft Facility NA NA NA 1 NA CRISIL BB-/Stable
NA Proposed Long Term Bank Loan Facility NA NA NA 0.19 NA CRISIL BB-/Stable
NA Term Loan NA NA Mar -25   0.81 NA CRISIL BB-/Stable

Annexure - List of Entities Consolidated

Names of Entities Consolidated

Extent of Consolidation

Rationale for Consolidation

Aryavarta FZE

Full

Common management and engaged in the same line of business with operational and financial linkages to the extent of consolidation

Bio Health Limited

Full

Unihealth (T) Limited

Full

Unihealth Uganda Limited

Full

UMC Global Health Limited

Full

Victoria Hospitals Limited

Full

Unihealth Pharmaceuticals Private Limited

Full

Unihealth Oncology Private Limited

Full

Annexure - Rating History for last 3 Years
  Current 2023 (History) 2022  2021  2020  Start of 2020
Instrument Type Outstanding Amount Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Date Rating Rating
Fund Based Facilities LT 2.0 CRISIL BB-/Stable   --   -- 30-06-21 Withdrawn 05-11-20 CRISIL D CRISIL B/Stable
All amounts are in Rs.Cr.
Annexure - Details of Bank Lenders & Facilities
Facility Amount (Rs.Crore) Name of Lender Rating
Overdraft Facility 1 Bank of Baroda CRISIL BB-/Stable
Proposed Long Term Bank Loan Facility 0.19 Not Applicable CRISIL BB-/Stable
Term Loan 0.81 Small Industries Development Bank of India CRISIL BB-/Stable
Criteria Details
Links to related criteria
CRISILs Approach to Financial Ratios
Rating criteria for manufaturing and service sector companies
CRISILs Bank Loan Ratings - process, scale and default recognition
The Rating Process
Mapping global scale ratings onto CRISIL scale
CRISILs Criteria for rating short term debt
CRISILs Criteria for Consolidation

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