International Medical Center opens in Jeddah
King Lauds Private Health Sector
Siraj Wahab & Samir Al-Saadi, Arab News
JEDDAH, 30 October 2006 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah formally inaugurated the 300-bed state-of-the-art International Medical Center at an impressive ceremony here yesterday.
In attendance at the opening of the beautifully-designed SR500 million private hospital in Jeddah’s upscale Ruwais district were Cabinet ministers, diplomats, foreign dignitaries, civic officials, businessmen and prominent residents of the city.
King Abdullah commended the private sector for what he described as its tremendous contribution to the health sector. The king thanked all those associated with the high-tech hospital. “I wish them every success,” he said.
Underlining the efforts of Saudi businessmen and doctors in carrying out huge medical projects in the Kingdom, King Abdullah said: “This reflects their strong faith in God, their nation and humanity. These efforts are not at all surprising, coming as they are from the sons of Saudi Arabia.”
Health Minister Dr. Hamad Al-Manie reiterated the government’s support for such health projects. The new hospital, he said, would provide high quality medical services of international standard.
The young and ebullient Dr. Walid Fitaihi, the chief executive officer and the main force behind the hospital, the first-of-its-kind in Saudi Arabia, was the cynosure of all eyes.
“It is a dream come true,” an elated Dr. Fitaihi told reporters later. “It took seven long years for it to materialize. Though the planning took a lot of time, the actual construction took just about three years,” he said.
“We think of ourselves as a paradigm shift in health care delivery in terms of standards,” he said, adding “We want this to be a place that people know, trust and feel comfortable in as patients.”
“This is why we teamed up with the Cleveland Clinic which is known worldwide for its history, ethics and its leadership in all specialties of medicine, especially heart surgery.” Cleveland Clinic is ranked as one of the top three hospitals in the US.
The IMC-Cleveland Clinic partnership includes know-how, policy, procedures, expertise, training, telemedicine, referrals and second opinions. “It is a unique partnership and one key advantage of working with the foundation is that qualified physicians who had their training in the US can become clinical affiliates for Cleveland Clinic and can apply for research grants there under the partnership umbrella,” Dr. Fitaihi added.
Dr. Delos M. Cosgrove, the chief executive officer of Cleveland Clinic and a very well-known cardiac surgeon, said he was proud of the prestigious American hospital’s association with the IMC. “These are mission-driven people,” he said, referring to Dr. Fitaihi and his team of doctors.
“We are very careful with who we are associated with,” he said. “We have had offers from nearly 25 countries to partner with. This is going to be the biggest partnership in the Middle East,” Dr. Cosgrove pointed out.
Dr. Cosgrove, who has performed over 20,000 surgical procedures and has become a world-renowned expert in the field of heart valve repair, said it was important to point out that most of the doctors at the IMC have worked at Cleveland Clinic. “So they have a good idea about the efforts that go into becoming the best medical facility in the world. These are talented people and IMC will become the best facility too,” he said.
“A successful project,” Dr. Cosgrove said, “is a combination of two things: physical structure and human beings. We have a wonderful structure at IMC complete with the most modern facilities and also individuals with very high credentials. Remember, great physicians and great scientists make great hospitals.”
About the key role teleconferencing and telecommunications are playing in the world of medicine, Dr. Cosgrove said: “I always believed that learning should go to doctors rather than doctors going to learning. Thanks to modern innovations, physical distances don’t mean much. It is pretty easy to disseminate information in a matter of minutes. With teleconferencing you can direct an operation hundreds of miles away. At IMC, this technology is going to be widely used.”
According to Dr. Fitaihi, the challenge has just begun. “Now comes the real work. We want to deliver all that we have promised. I am confident and my confidence stems from the excellent team of doctors and experts that we have at the center. I want every patient to leave our hospital completely healed and smiling. I want to see them smile,” he said.
Dr. Fitaihi praised all the individuals who invested in the project even before the building was erected. “All the investors knew what it meant to add value to society, so their main objective was never to maximize profits but to be proud of their investment,” Dr. Fitaihi said, adding: “They (the investors) were involved in all stages of the project.”
The facility, which cost more than SR500 million, includes a pharmacy, rehabilitation center, health clubs, an auditorium, learning centers for patient use, and a cafeteria. There are many centers of excellence: diabetes treatment and management, women’s health and pediatrics.
Ever since the hospital building was first erected, it has been the talk of the town. It has been rightly described as an architectural wonder and a prominent landmark.
“It is beautiful, functional, with attention to detail, service and quality... It creates an atmosphere of dignity, beauty and regality,” said one guest. The building was designed by one of the Arab world’s leading architects, Dr. Sami Angawi. He was on hand to explain the concept of the building’s design. “This is not just a building. It is a dream,” said Dr. Angawi.
“Architects are like interpreters of dreams. We try to give shape to our dreams. The message behind this wonderful structure is to convey the beauty of our Islamic heritage. We have tried to fuse modern technology with traditional Islamic design in order to convey a sense of continuity and a sense of our pride in our heritage,” he said. “Today, I am giving my dream away to other people.”
India, Saudi Arabia sign health sector agreement
Monday, November 20, 2006
India and Saudi Arabia Monday signed an agreement that will pave the way for bilateral cooperation in hospital management, consultancy and recruitment of Indian doctors and paramedical staff in Saudi hospitals.
Saudi Arabian Health Minister Hamad A. Al-Mane and his Indian counterpart Anbumani Ramadoss, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU).
The agreement will also facilitate import of Indian pharmaceuticals to Saudi Arabia, treatment of Saudi nationals in super-specialty hospitals here and training of Saudi Arabian nurses in India.
Ramadoss said that while India was short of specialists, it would not hesitate in sending experts to Saudi Arabia with provision to ensure their return on completion of their tenures.
He said Indian pharmaceuticals are of world-class quality and it would benefit both countries if exports could be made directly to Saudi Arabia. He said that medical tourism has come of age in India and the cost of major surgical procedures is extremely cheap in comparison to international rates.
Al-Mane said that in any village in Saudi Arabia one would find medical or paramedical personnel of Indian origin.
Earlier in the day, speaking at a conference organised by industry lobby Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Al-Mane said that his country was interested in cooperating with India in areas like telemedicine, training and doctors' exchange programmes.
'India is a great country and we look forward to accelerating relations between the two countries, especially in the medical field. We hope this visit to India will translate into action soon,' he said.
Al-Mane invited Indian firms to Saudi Arabia. 'Currently, 82 Indian companies are operating in our country and we want more companies to come.'
Speaking about India's health tourism potential, Saleh Nin Mohammed Al-Ghamdi, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to India, said: 'India is a beautiful country and a lot of our people are willing to come here. We are a small but growing country and I am sure we can be a good partner for India.'
Emaar makes $5 billion foray into healthcare sector
Dubai
Emaar Properties has recently announced plans to make a foray into the healthcare sector in the Middle East, North Africa (Mena) and South Asia markets.
The plan involves the construction of hospitals, clinics and medical centres and investing in the provision of world-class healthcare services, says a spokesman for the group.
“Emaar has chalked out an investment outlay of Dh 18.35 billion ($5 billion), which it will use to make a difference in the healthcare business over the next decade. The plan is to develop and manage around 100 hospitals each with 200 bed capacities and super medical specialities added in key centres,” said the spokesman.
He adds: “Emaar, which already is a name to reckon in the property market, will provide the infrastructure as well as manage the administration and operations of its hospitals, clinics and medical centres. In addition, it will form strategic partnerships with established healthcare institutions and providers, which will ensure the presence of internationally qualified doctors, staff and specialists to set best practice standards in the regional healthcare industry.
Outlining the plans of the group, Emaar chairman Mohamed Ali Alabbar said: “Our detailed business plans for the healthcare business aims to meet the fast growing demand for healthcare infrastructure and services in the targeted markets. Emaar’s expansion into the healthcare business is part of our holistic approach to property development and complements our earlier announced plans for the education sector. We aim to not just provide homes for people, but to build communities that provide a self-sufficient environment to live in.”
“Emaar has a strategic long term plan for the healthcare business across global markets in a serious way and have already drawn up a programme to build resources, both financial and human to tackle the opportunity that exists and provide value to the communities that it serves. The plan aims to build a sustainable business model of the right size so that it provides real value for the company’s shareholders,” Alabbar said.
“As the target region experiences massive population growth, the demand on its healthcare infrastructure will grow further. Unable to cope with this demand, local Governments are now keenly pursuing plans to privatise healthcare services. Emaar will help meet these challenges by delivering quality medical care,” he said.
The Mena and South Asia region have witnessed significant developments in healthcare services in recent years. Efforts however, still fall short of the ever-rising demand. Conservative estimates of the current size of the healthcare market, excluding medicine and pharmaceuticals, in the targeted region is around Dh36.7 billion ($10 billion) per year.
A recent United Nations report observed that the largest impediment facing the South Asian health sector was the state infrastructure and facilities. On an average, South Asian countries spend only 4.8 per cent of their GDP on public and private healthcare services, which is amongst the lowest in the world. The Mena region’s spends are comparable; countries such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait invest 4.3 per cent and 3.8 per cent of its gross domestic product respectively. This indicates the deep potential for the growth of its healthcare industry.
South Asia is also witnessing a boom in medical tourism. As many as 150,000 medical tourists visited India’s world-class hospitals last year. Numbers of arrivals are growing by at least 15 per cent. Medical tourism in India is slated to become a $2.3 billion industry by 2012, according to market estimates.
On the other hand, wealthy individuals from the region prefer to travel to the West to access world-class medical treatment. They are a significant target market for Emaar healthcare business.
“By providing world-class infrastructure and healthcare services right at our doorstep, we are confident that many will seek medical assistance at home instead of traveling abroad,” added Alabbar.
A combination of an increase in non-communicable and chronic diseases, the rapid pace of innovations in medical technology and growth in demand due to demographic changes is expected to drive the amount of healthcare spending in the years ahead. With global revenues at an estimated $2.8 trillion, healthcare is considered on of the world’s leading industries.
“By capitalising on the high growth potential of the healthcare business, we strongly believe that Emaar’s phenomenal growth and profitability will continue in the years ahead. We will ensure appropriate distribution of resources into our healthcare business across geographic areas within the region. By investing in building the healthcare infrastructure and facilities in the region, we will also share the burden of many governments’ while ensuring the development of healthier communities,” concluded Alabbar.
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