BUSINESS

Excerpts from an interview with Dr. Azad Moopen

December 25, 2018

Interview with Dr. Azad Moopen

Founder Chairman and Managing Director of Aster DM Healthcare

1. What is your point of view on the Kingdom’s healthcare industry and overall infrastructure?

As healthcare is one of the main focus areas of Vision 2030, and the wider National Transformation Plan in Saudi Arabia, it is expected to see unprecedented growth, supported by Saudi government prioritising the development of health care services at all levels: primary, secondary and tertiary care.

The three pillars of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030- A Vibrant Society, A Thriving Economy and An Ambitious Nation, will continue to shape the foundation and overall evolution of the Saudi healthcare sector by defining the type of system needed to ensure optimal patient outcomes in the future.

Healthcare also remains one of the key areas for diversification, with goals to increase private healthcare expenditure. The vision has also highlighted areas of opportunity for foreign investors, including additional private medical facilities, increased usage of information technology, healthcare education, enhanced professional development, local manufacture of pharmaceuticals and more. The advancement in health services, combined with other factors such as improved and more accessible public education, increased health awareness among the community and better life conditions, have already contributed to significant improvements in the sector.

Aster DM Healthcare has been one of the first private healthcare providers to enter Saudi Arabia and it remains a key feature in our regional and international operations. We are committed to expanding our services in the Kingdom, and as such, have invested in integrating Sanad Hospital in Riyadh into our overall network. To that extent, in 2015, we increased our stake in Sanad Hospital to 97%.

Today, Aster Sanad Hospital is a multispecialty medical facility that is fully equipped to offer affordable quality care and service to the people of Saudi Arabia through a team of highly qualified and experienced medical professionals that spans a number of specialty areas.

2. Any growth expectation in your opinion?

According to recent reports, the healthcare sector contributed $20.8 billion to the Kingdom’s GDP in 2015. The sector is projected to grow by 13.7% by 2025. There are many variables that contribute to this growth including an increased spend on health technology, increased number of internationally accredited hospitals, medical facilities as well as primary care centers. There is also an increasing demand amongst the local population for high quality, yet affordable care.

All these factors, supported by the major transition in the Kingdom that we are witnessing, has further increased our determination to strengthen our presence. Private involvement in the sectors like healthcare is being strongly encouraged and we have the significant advantage of being one of the first movers to enter the healthcare sector in the Kingdom.

Our current facility, Aster Sanad is already poised to accommodate this growth potential. A 250-bed facility, Aster Sanad has more than 100 doctors and surgeons and 800 employees, who are rolling-out Aster DM Healthcare’s unique advantage in the Kingdom: healthcare eco-system, access to quaternary care, network of talented healthcare professionals, strong track record, patient experience excellence and benchmark healthcare practices.

3. What is Aster’s current investments in the Kingdom? Are there any plans to expand your operations?

Saudi Arabia remains one of the growth markets for Aster DM Healthcare. Since the acquisition of Aster Sanad Hospital, the management of Aster DM Healthcare has been working towards integrating the operations of the facility into the Aster network and introducing best practices as well as our unique advantage in the Kingdom. We are looking at opportunities to add on more clinics, once this is approved.

Today, Aster Sanad hospital has 9 Centres of Excellence: cardiology, neuro & spine surgery, bariatric, gastroenterology, general surgery, laparoscopic surgery, Obstetrics and gynecology orthopedics and urology. The facility is accredited by Joint Commission International Accreditation (JCI) and Saudi Central Board of Accreditation for Healthcare Organizations (CBAHI). The hospital is also supported with technologically advanced medical equipment and facilities, all with an aim to ensure that we meet the healthcare needs of all families in the Kingdom.

In addition to this, we are noticing that the healthcare requirements in Saudi Arabia are quite significant and some of the successful models that we have used here in UAE can meet these requirements in the Kingdom. Typically there has been a lot of focus on hospitals in the Kingdom, but we think there is a huge potential for primary care, which is one of the strengths that we can bring in as a company.

4. How do you leverage synergies between your operations in Saudi Arabia and your wider network in terms of technology, R&D, etc.

Over the last 30 years, Aster DM Healthcare has evolved into an integrated healthcare service organisation, that provides the complete circle of care to people through its world-class network of hospitals, clinics and pharmacies, providing primary to quaternary care to all segments of the population. All with the purpose of providing quality healthcare that is affordable and accessible for our people. This has helped us build a healthcare eco-system that helps a patient through his/her entire journey with us, starting from diagnosis to providing the most scientifically advanced treatment and sophisticated care models at our world-class facilities.

The international network of care that we have been able to develop across the 9 countries that we operate in, including GCC and India, has brought together highly qualified medical professionals and healthcare experts who facilitate knowledge sharing, education as well as referrals. Some of our patients who require advanced treatment or quaternary care are referred to our centers of excellence in India, where our doctors are well-known for performing the country’s most advanced surgeries successfully. Some of these doctors also visit our facilities in GCC regularly to work with our doctors. Similarly, many of our doctors in GCC also bring in international market knowledge and expertise.

We are also one of the few healthcare providers to facilitate medical education for budding and veteran doctors. Many of the doctors graduating from DM Wayanad Institute of Medical Sciences in Kerala are absorbed into our hospitals. Similarly, some of our hospitals have been recognised by Royal College of Physicians, UK for Core Medical Training and we have a partnership with Thomas Jefferson University, USA to provide our doctors with access to global knowledge, research and best practices.

For us, technological advancements and innovations are a means of making quality healthcare more accessible for patients. While the best technology and equipments are made available at our hospitals for patients, we have also introduced innovative measures like remote monitoring of chronic care conditions like hypertension and diabetes, online pharmacy, robotics for transplants in India, magseed technology for breast cancer treatment in UAE and more.

5. Are you engaged in any major tie ups or partnerships in the Kingdom?

The prominent business group, Rashid Al Rashid is our business partners in Saudi.


December 25, 2018
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