UPDATE 1-Fortis Healthcare expects to buy hospital by Sept

(Adds details, background, shares)

NEW DELHI, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Hospital-chain operator Fortis Healthcare Ltd (FOHE.BO: Quote, Profile, Research) expects to buy a 100-200 bed hospital by September, its chief executive said on Monday.

Fortis, which has 14 hospitals and 8 satellite centres, aims to have 40 hospitals by 2011. Traditionally a north-India based chain, Fortis is now looking at south and western India to expand.

Last September, it took over Chennai-based Malar Hospital Ltd (MLRH.BO: Quote, Profile, Research).

"Fortis will probably close one deal in September," Shivinder Mohan Singh told reporters at a press conference.

He declined to provide more details, but said the hospital would be in the west or south.

Fortis, which posted its first-ever quarterly profit in the April-June quarter, would have full-year EBITDA margins of "at least" 16 percent, Singh said.

EBITDA margins were at that level in April-June, Fortis' first fiscal-quarter, compared with about 12 percent in 2007/08, he added.

"By the year end, we will not have any hospital that will be bleeding," Singh said.