Capio controls 92% of Community Hospitals Group

Capio controls 92% of Community Hospitals Group Capio now controls 92.2 per cent. of CHG, in valid acceptances for the cash offer and owned shares, giving Capio the ability to acquire 100% by compulsorily purchasing the outstanding CHG Shares. The Offer remains open for acceptance for those CHG shareholders who have not yet accepted the offer until further notice. "We now control 92% of CHG. Following the completion of our acquisition of CHG, we look forward to implementing our plan for CHG. I am excited about working together with CHG in facing the new challenges provided by the British market", says Per Båtelson, CEO of Capio. Capio had at 3.00 p.m. on 30 May 2001 received valid acceptances in respect of 28,604,200 Community Hospitals Group Shares, representing 80.40 per cent of the existing issued share capital of CHG. In addition, Capio has acquired a total of 4,201,403 CHG Shares through market purchases, representing 11.81 per cent. of the existing issued share capital of CHG. Accordingly, Capio therefore owned or had received valid acceptances in respect of 32,805,603 CHG Shares, representing 92.21 per cent. of the existing issued share capital of CHG. Capio will be posting letters to CHG Shareholders who have not accepted the Offer. The Offer remains open for acceptance until further notice. Capio intends to apply for cancellation of the listing of CHG on the Official List of the UK Listing Authority no earlier than six weeks after the date of this announcement and to re-register CHG as a private company. Gothenburg, Sweden May 31, 2001 Capio AB (publ) For further information, please contact: Ulrika Stenson, Vice President Corporate Communications +46 31 732 4004, +46 705 90 07 23 Martin Svalstedt, CFO +46 31 732 4010, +46 705 11 11 36 Earlier distributed press releases with further information about the terms and conditions relating to the offer for CHG can be found on the Capio website: www.capio.se Background; Capio presented at the 26th of April 2001 a cash offer of SEK 3.5 billion for all of the shares outstanding in the UK's fourth largest independent care company, CHG, Community Hospitals Group. CHG, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange, has 3,400 employees and operates 21 hospitals in the United Kingdom. This transaction means that Capio will gain a substantially stronger international position in a market segment that is experiencing solid growth. ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by BIT http://www.bit.se The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2001/05/31/20010531BIT01010/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2001/05/31/20010531BIT01010/bit0002.pdf