He graduated in medicine from the University of Sydney and was one of the forost players in the development of the syst of health-care providers that Australia has today, particularly through the chain of 71 general practitioner practices owned by Primary Health. Of the 71 centres, 58 are large ones.
The company also has 1,800 licensed pathology-collection centres and 150 diagnostic-imaging practices.
His two sons, work at Primary Health; James runs the pathology and diagnostics division and Henry the medical centres division.
For some years, until July this year, Primary Health was the largest shareholder in listed ophthalmology practices company Vision Eye Institute Limited, with just under 20 per cent shareholding (41 million shares worth $34 million) which it sold to Pulse Health Limited during that company’s unsuccessful hostile bid for Vision.
Late last year, he stepped back from Primary Health because of an undisclosed illness.
He was one of the first medical practitioners to open a large-scale 24/7 GP medical practice – at Brookvale on Sydney’s northern beaches, in 1986.
It was in the era when the great majority of medical practitioners looked down their noses at such centres, with the Australian Medical Association leading the fray; when medical practitioners thought of thselves as professionals rather than health-care service providers.
In July 1998, Primary Health was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange, with annual revenue of $12.4 million that year. In the financial year ended 30 June 2015, annual revenue was $1.52 billion and after tax profit of $136.5 million.
It is estimated that Edmund Batan’s net wealth was $420 million, including his reduced shareholding in Primary Health to 2.2 per cent as well as rural properties totalling 20,000 acres.
In 2013, he and his wife have half of their Primary Health shares, then worth $76 million, to family and a charitable trust.
Edmund Batan leaves his wife of 50 years, Belinda, and four children, James, Henry, Samantha and Georgia, and 15 grandchildren.
Light Adjustable Lens to be unveiled at AUSCRS
Now available in Australia and New Zealand, the RxSight Light Adjustable Lens (LAL) is the first and only intraocular lens (IOL) that enables postoperative refractive customisation....
