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Emirates Business
Abeer Medical Group, an international healthcare provider known for establishing prominent hospitals and medical centers in the GCC region, has announced plans to expand its operations to the UAE.
For decades, the Group has been changing lives and providing quality healthcare to those in need. From their origins in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the group has expanded to establish hospitals and medical centers in numerous locations in the GCC. In 1999, the group established its branches in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and continued its regional expansion to Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, and India.
Dr. Jemshith Ahmed, Vice President of Abeer Medical Group, speaks to Emirates Business on the healthcare provider’s
current and future plans in the UAE.
What made you to decide UAE market?
With a track record of 17 years of expertise in the region, Abeer Medical Group focuses mainly on the quality of services it provides and works hard to retain the trust of care seeker. The UAE is part of our strategic plan through which Abeer Medical Group intends to expand across several areas of the GCC. In addition, the UAE is a promising market that presents a lot of growth opportunities.
Could you please share some numbers in terms of investing in the UAE healthcare business?
The two major upcoming projects which Abeer Medical Group is currently working on are Al Raha Hospital which is now managed by the group and Abeer maternity and pediatrics hospital.
Al Raha Hospital project consists of 2 phases. Phase 1 comprises raising the capacity from 30 beds to 60 beds, entailing AED 50 million.
This phase will be completed by August 2017. Phase 2 includes raising the capacity from 60 beds to 120 beds, entailing AED 100 million.
This phase will be completed by end
of 2018.
The maternity and pediatric specialty hospital will have a capacity of 50 beds that will cost AED 100 million. In addition, the group plans to establish their presence in each of the other emirates within the coming 2 years.
Do you have plans to bring any
specialised services compared to the existing competitors in the UAE?
The maternity and pediatric center that Abeer Medical Group is planning to launch in the future will be unique to the UAE
as there is no other center that focuses solely on providing specialised mate-
rnity care and a broad spectrum of pediatric services.
What do you think is the biggest
challenge faced by the UAE healthcare industry?
The changing economic landscape
(insurance laws keep changing for example) is a challenge which Abeer Medical Group is familiar with and always ready to address as it is applicable to many regions of the GCC.