/images/ppid_59c68470-image-178824756108074113.webp)
What is the story about?
For patients in smaller Indian towns, access to specialised diagnostic facilities still remains a challenge. A test often still demands travel to a big city with affordability a continuing challenge. Mahajan Imaging & Labs and Neuberg Diagnostics want to close that distance in North India through a wider collection network and specialist laboratories.
That plan lies at the heart of a new strategic joint venture between the two diagnostic companies. The partnership will combine Mahajan’s experience in medical imaging with Neuberg’s pathology and genomics network to expand integrated diagnostic services across seven North Indian states, the two companies said.
The deal marks Mahajan Imaging’s first strategic joint venture in its more than 35 year history. Mahajan will hold a majority stake, CNBC TV-18 has learned, although the companies have not disclosed the precise shareholding, transaction value or investment planned.
Kabir Mahajan has been appointed chief executive officer of the joint venture and will lead its operations and growth. Subject to regulatory approvals and licences, the combined business is expected to operate under the name Mahajan Imaging & Neuberg Diagnostics.
Mahajan will become Neuberg’s exclusive partner across the seven-state territory. With the expansion, the two companies will grow services across states like NCR, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab.
The partnership brings together two companies that have largely grown on different sides of diagnostics.
Mahajan built its business in MRI, CT, PET-CT, nuclear medicine and other imaging services before expanding into pathology, molecular diagnostics and genomics.
Neuberg brings its network of more than 200 accredited laboratories, digital infrastructure and a portfolio of over 6,000 tests.
Also Read: Drones are likely to change the business of hospitals and diagnostic chains
From a Friendship to a Partnership
Having known Neuberg founder Dr GSK Velu for more than 30 years, Harsh Mahajan said the relationship helped lay the foundation for the partnership. “This was first a meeting of the hearts,” he said. But the two sides also had to establish whether their ambitions were aligned.
“We wanted to see whether their vision gelled with what we wanted to do,” he said. “We felt we could do it much better together because what would take us a few years to learn, they already know.”
“The decision to associate with Neuberg is rooted in where diagnostics is headed,” he said. “Radiology, pathology and genomics today do not exist in isolation. Increasingly, clinical decisions require information from imaging, pathology, molecular testing and genomics to be considered together.”
Neuberg founder, chairman and managing director Dr G S K Velu said the two companies spent close to two years discussing the partnership and determining whether their clinical and expansion strategies were aligned.
Mahajan’s recognition in North India also fills a geographical gap for Neuberg, which initially built much of its pathology business in southern and western India before expanding into eastern India and radiology.
“We could not have asked for a better partner in North India,” Velu said. “Both brands are coming together with complementary strengths: Mahajan’s imaging power and Neuberg’s pathology power.”
Harsh Mahajan will also chair Neuberg’s radiology technical board and guide the company as it expands a radiology business it entered around three years ago.
The expansions won’t necessarily all be brick and mortar establishments. The rollout will use a combination of new centres and partnerships with local doctors and diagnostic businesses.
Executives said pathology could be scaled faster through collection centres and central laboratories, while radiology would expand more gradually because it requires costly machines, trained personnel and physical infrastructure.
Chairs of Excellence and Wellness Centres
Another major part of the plan is the creation of specialised centres of excellence in Gurugram and Delhi. The new centres are expected to add electron microscopy-based renal-biopsy evaluation, cytogenetics, oncology-related testing and transplant diagnostics.
They will also focus on molecular pathology and genomics, including a full-fledged genomics laboratory capable of undertaking a wider range of sequencing and specialised testing.
Dr Shelly Mahajan, lab director at Mahajan Imaging & Labs, will lead the pathology and genomics expansion alongside Neuberg’s clinical team.
“We want to build deeper expertise in specific areas,” she said. “The objective is to create centres that are not only testing facilities, but true hubs of expertise that support clinicians with comprehensive and clinically meaningful insights.”
Wellness, preventive testing and longevity diagnostics will form a separate growth vertical. Velu said two longevity-diagnostics centres would be launched under the Atlas Health Map brand -- one in Mumbai and another in Delhi-NCR, within the next one to two months.
The concept will subsequently be taken to other major Indian cities.
The centres will combine whole body MRI, whole genome sequencing and other diagnostic tests to create a health map covering disease predisposition, organ health and pharmacogenomics, or how an individual may respond to particular medicines.
Genetic counsellors, health coaches and functional-medicine specialists will help people interpret the findings. Velu stressed, however, that the centres would focus on diagnosis and risk assessment rather than provide treatment.
“We don’t want to get into therapy. That is not our job,” he said. “Our focus will be on longevity diagnostics.”
Harnessing Strengths of AI and Drones
The companies are also exploring drones to transport samples from far-flung and hilly areas, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh.
“In far-flung areas, it makes a lot of sense to use drones to transport samples,” Harsh Mahajan said. But he cautioned against using the technology where it served no practical purpose, saying transporting samples by drone from Gurugram to Delhi would make little sense.
Artificial intelligence will be used in imaging, quality control, workflow management and reporting. Mahajan Imaging has worked with AI since 2016-17 and currently uses it in MRI and ultrasound to improve image quality.
Also Read: The rise of genomics: Shaping the future of care with AI, ethics, and early detection
The longer term plan is to use it to assist radiologists and pathologists in combining information from different tests without replacing clinical judgement.
“Scale will never come at the cost of quality. Technology will never come at the cost of empathy. And growth will absolutely never come at the cost of the patient,” Kabir Mahajan said.
“The measure of success will not simply be how many centres we add, but whether we can deliver a consistent experience, reliable reporting and efficient access to a wider range of diagnostic services as the network grows.”
Mahajan Imaging operates 16 diagnostic centres and laboratories across Delhi-NCR and Jaipur, according to the company.
Neuberg says it processes around 30 million tests annually and provides home collection across more than 5,500 postal codes.
The expansion comes as ICRA expects organised diagnostic companies to record revenue growth of 12–14% in FY27, supported by wellness services, specialised testing and deeper penetration into non-metro markets.
That plan lies at the heart of a new strategic joint venture between the two diagnostic companies. The partnership will combine Mahajan’s experience in medical imaging with Neuberg’s pathology and genomics network to expand integrated diagnostic services across seven North Indian states, the two companies said.
The deal marks Mahajan Imaging’s first strategic joint venture in its more than 35 year history. Mahajan will hold a majority stake, CNBC TV-18 has learned, although the companies have not disclosed the precise shareholding, transaction value or investment planned.
Kabir Mahajan has been appointed chief executive officer of the joint venture and will lead its operations and growth. Subject to regulatory approvals and licences, the combined business is expected to operate under the name Mahajan Imaging & Neuberg Diagnostics.
Mahajan will become Neuberg’s exclusive partner across the seven-state territory. With the expansion, the two companies will grow services across states like NCR, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab.
The partnership brings together two companies that have largely grown on different sides of diagnostics.
Mahajan built its business in MRI, CT, PET-CT, nuclear medicine and other imaging services before expanding into pathology, molecular diagnostics and genomics.
Neuberg brings its network of more than 200 accredited laboratories, digital infrastructure and a portfolio of over 6,000 tests.
Also Read: Drones are likely to change the business of hospitals and diagnostic chains
From a Friendship to a Partnership
Having known Neuberg founder Dr GSK Velu for more than 30 years, Harsh Mahajan said the relationship helped lay the foundation for the partnership. “This was first a meeting of the hearts,” he said. But the two sides also had to establish whether their ambitions were aligned.
“We wanted to see whether their vision gelled with what we wanted to do,” he said. “We felt we could do it much better together because what would take us a few years to learn, they already know.”
“The decision to associate with Neuberg is rooted in where diagnostics is headed,” he said. “Radiology, pathology and genomics today do not exist in isolation. Increasingly, clinical decisions require information from imaging, pathology, molecular testing and genomics to be considered together.”
Neuberg founder, chairman and managing director Dr G S K Velu said the two companies spent close to two years discussing the partnership and determining whether their clinical and expansion strategies were aligned.
Mahajan’s recognition in North India also fills a geographical gap for Neuberg, which initially built much of its pathology business in southern and western India before expanding into eastern India and radiology.
“We could not have asked for a better partner in North India,” Velu said. “Both brands are coming together with complementary strengths: Mahajan’s imaging power and Neuberg’s pathology power.”
Harsh Mahajan will also chair Neuberg’s radiology technical board and guide the company as it expands a radiology business it entered around three years ago.
The expansions won’t necessarily all be brick and mortar establishments. The rollout will use a combination of new centres and partnerships with local doctors and diagnostic businesses.
Executives said pathology could be scaled faster through collection centres and central laboratories, while radiology would expand more gradually because it requires costly machines, trained personnel and physical infrastructure.
Chairs of Excellence and Wellness Centres
Another major part of the plan is the creation of specialised centres of excellence in Gurugram and Delhi. The new centres are expected to add electron microscopy-based renal-biopsy evaluation, cytogenetics, oncology-related testing and transplant diagnostics.
They will also focus on molecular pathology and genomics, including a full-fledged genomics laboratory capable of undertaking a wider range of sequencing and specialised testing.
Dr Shelly Mahajan, lab director at Mahajan Imaging & Labs, will lead the pathology and genomics expansion alongside Neuberg’s clinical team.
“We want to build deeper expertise in specific areas,” she said. “The objective is to create centres that are not only testing facilities, but true hubs of expertise that support clinicians with comprehensive and clinically meaningful insights.”
Wellness, preventive testing and longevity diagnostics will form a separate growth vertical. Velu said two longevity-diagnostics centres would be launched under the Atlas Health Map brand -- one in Mumbai and another in Delhi-NCR, within the next one to two months.
The concept will subsequently be taken to other major Indian cities.
The centres will combine whole body MRI, whole genome sequencing and other diagnostic tests to create a health map covering disease predisposition, organ health and pharmacogenomics, or how an individual may respond to particular medicines.
Genetic counsellors, health coaches and functional-medicine specialists will help people interpret the findings. Velu stressed, however, that the centres would focus on diagnosis and risk assessment rather than provide treatment.
“We don’t want to get into therapy. That is not our job,” he said. “Our focus will be on longevity diagnostics.”
Harnessing Strengths of AI and Drones
The companies are also exploring drones to transport samples from far-flung and hilly areas, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh.
“In far-flung areas, it makes a lot of sense to use drones to transport samples,” Harsh Mahajan said. But he cautioned against using the technology where it served no practical purpose, saying transporting samples by drone from Gurugram to Delhi would make little sense.
Artificial intelligence will be used in imaging, quality control, workflow management and reporting. Mahajan Imaging has worked with AI since 2016-17 and currently uses it in MRI and ultrasound to improve image quality.
Also Read: The rise of genomics: Shaping the future of care with AI, ethics, and early detection
The longer term plan is to use it to assist radiologists and pathologists in combining information from different tests without replacing clinical judgement.
“Scale will never come at the cost of quality. Technology will never come at the cost of empathy. And growth will absolutely never come at the cost of the patient,” Kabir Mahajan said.
“The measure of success will not simply be how many centres we add, but whether we can deliver a consistent experience, reliable reporting and efficient access to a wider range of diagnostic services as the network grows.”
Mahajan Imaging operates 16 diagnostic centres and laboratories across Delhi-NCR and Jaipur, according to the company.
Neuberg says it processes around 30 million tests annually and provides home collection across more than 5,500 postal codes.
The expansion comes as ICRA expects organised diagnostic companies to record revenue growth of 12–14% in FY27, supported by wellness services, specialised testing and deeper penetration into non-metro markets.
