India's fastest growing healthcare chain Fortis Healthcare has signed a five-year outsourcing deal with IT major HCL Infosystems for implementing software solutions at all its facilities.

Under the arrangement, HCL will undertake complete outsourcing of IT systems and processes of Fortis Healthcare Ltd., and install software solutions at all Fortis hospitals.

The company stated in a communiqué that IT platform for all the hospitals in Fortis network will be standardized through the IT system installed by HCL within a period of twelve months, and the first hospital will go live by the end of February 2010.

A company official, who did want to be identified, has informed that the total size of the deal would be more than $15 million, because the actual cost depends upon the number of facilities the group acquires.

It should be noted that latest deal will make Fortis the first healthcare delivery company in country to undertake complete strategic outsourcing for IT applications and infrastructure management.