The Abraaj Group Acquires a Majority Stake in CARE Hospitals
The Abraaj Group, a leading investor operating in global growth markets has announced that it has agreed to acquire, through one of its Funds, a majority stake in Quality CARE India Limited; one of the largest multi-specialty healthcare providers in India, from global private equity firm, Advent International.Headquartered in the city of Hyderabad, CARE is the fifth largest healthcare provider in India, operating 2,600 beds across 16 hospitals in nine cities.Founded in 1997 by Dr. B. Soma Raju and a core group of professionals, CARE is today recognised for its focus on high quality tertiary care, including cardiac care and neurosciences. To date, CARE has treated more than six million outpatients and one million inpatients, the majority of which coming from middle and low income groups in underserved second tier cities in India.Abraaj and CARE’s management team will focus on expanding CARE’s integrated healthcare delivery system, especially in the underpenetrated regions of India. The partnership will also bring CARE’s high quality and proven delivery platform to other markets where Abraaj operates.The CARE Foundation - the Company’s education, training and rural community outreach programme - will also be scaled up and expanded to develop and train high calibre nurses, technicians, physiotherapists and community health workers.Commenting on the partnership, Sev Vettivetpillai, Partner and Global Head of Abraaj’s Thematic Funds Business said: “The implications of the healthcare gap in India are profound, but they translate into a long-term opportunity for Abraaj to help build a better and more sustainable healthcare infrastructure in the country.“Led by dedicated founders and a strong management team, CARE has been a pioneer in providing…
WHO: China Faces Ageing Population
With advances in medicine helping more people to live longer lives, the number of people over the age of 60 is expected to double by 2050 and will require radical societal change, according to the new report released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the International Day of Older Persons. “Today, most people, even in the poorest countries, are living longer lives,” says Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO. “But this is not enough. We need to ensure these extra years are healthy, meaningful and dignified. Achieving this will not just be good for older people, it will be good for society as a whole.”Longer lives not necessarily healthier livesContrary to widespread assumptions, the Report finds that there is very little evidence that the added years of life are being experienced in better health than was the case for previous generations at the same age. “Unfortunately 70 does not yet appear to be the new 60,” says Dr John Beard, Director of the Department of Ageing and Life Course at WHO. “But it could be. And it should be,” he adds.While some older people may indeed be experiencing both longer and healthier lives, these people are likely to have come from more advantaged segments of society. “People from disadvantaged backgrounds, those in poorer countries, those with the fewest opportunities and the fewest resources to call on in older age, are also likely to have the poorest health and the greatest need,” says Dr Beard.The Report stresses that governments must ensure policies that enable older people to continue…
Siemens Becomes Strategic Automation Partner for GlaxoSmithKline
Siemens and GlaxoSmithKline, one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, have entered a global strategic partnership. Siemens will become a strategic partner of GSK in manufacturing automation and thus, become the preferred automation supplier for GSK production and R&D sites worldwide, including vaccines.This new agreement further develops the long standing successful relationship between both companies and helps GSK to refresh their global automation strategy.Dave Tudor, Vice President Primary Supply and leader of the Global Automation Steering Team of GSK, said: “I am delighted that we have reached an agreement to make Siemens a strategic partner. One of our objectives is to simplify and standardise the automation space by identifying a small number of systems and suppliers and this is the first step on our journey to achieving this. This will create a real win-win situation, not just for today, but for the long term, for GSK, Siemens and most importantly our patients.”Eckard Eberle, CEO of the Siemens Business Unit Process Automation, added: “Integrated automation and digitalisation solutions are important levers for pharmaceutical companies to raise efficiency and productivity whilst ensuring safety and quality. As a reliable partner, we will support GSK this way by providing a unique integrated portfolio comprising hardware, software and services across the entire plant life cycle.”A detailed list of criteria has also been agreed between the two companies to ensure the relationship develops in the right way. These include executive sponsorship on both sides, transparency with bi-directional trust, behaviours that are not just financially driven, a joint determination to…
CNIT Launches Healthcare One Pass App to Simplify Patient Experience
China Information Technology, Inc. (CNIT), a leading provider of integrated cloud-based platform, exchange, and big data solutions in China, has launched its mobile app for Healthcare One Pass, ushering in a new age of accessible healthcare services on mobile devices. The launch ceremony was hosted this week by the Yantian District Health and Family Planning Bureau and Shenzhen News Net. The mobile app for Healthcare One Pass provides comprehensive healthcare services including: appointment registration, same day appointment scheduling, outpatient payments, medical service ratings, treatment queries and a hospital guide. The new app also simplifies treatment processes, optimises treatment experience, and provides access to healthcare services throughout the medical consultation process.In addition, the Healthcare One Pass app also incorporates innovative features such as online chat, healthcare community and healthcare assistant. The online chat feature creates an end-to-end healthcare service ecosystem. The healthcare community allows users to easily find and communicate with others who share similar healthcare interests. The healthcare assistant feature provides customised healthcare services to users with specific needs such as pregnancy, chronic illness, high blood pressure, and diabetes.Healthcare One Pass is a free app downloadable on iPhone and android mobile devices. It provides an entry point for CNIT to expand the coverage of its online exchange, Taoping Net, to the Chinese healthcare market. By collaborating closely with hospitals, doctors, and patients through Healthcare One Pass, CNIT will be able to up-sell its cloud-based new media hardware, software, and services to hospitals, place its display terminals at high-traffic areas within healthcare facilities, disseminate integrated online and offline healthcare information, and…
Now Health International Completes Best Doctors Insurance Deal
IPMI (International Private Medical Insurance) provider, Now Health International has confirmed that its investor, the Primary Group, has completed the transaction to acquire Best Doctors Insurance, a major medical insurance provider with distribution throughout Latin America, the Caribbean and Canada.With its headquarters in Hong Kong, and strategically placed regional offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Singapore and Jakarta, customers in Asia Pacific will benefit from local service and top quality healthcare facilities should they seek treatment both locally and when travelling to the Americas.The combination of the two businesses, both Bermudan-based, will create one of the largest independent IPMI providers in the world, with 12 sales/service offices, 100,000-plus members, 330-plus staff and more than 5,000 distribution partners. The combined business aims to deliver top-class service to existing and prospective customers, distributors and providers while minimising business disruption in the process.Additionally, the business is aiming to deploy a common, bespoke technology platform enabling execution of a full in-house 24-seven customer service offering across multiple languages and currencies.Further benefits will include a broadened distribution network across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, Canada and the Caribbean, as well as a leveraging an expanded proprietary medical provider network to deliver increasing economies of scale.Finally, the combined business will supplement the core IPMI product offerings with a range of complementary accident and/or health-related products in the coming months and years.All told, the business will join the ranks of the top-tier providers of worldwide IPMI solutions, with an ambitious cumulative premium target of US$1billion over the next three years. “This combination of Now…
Angkor Hospital For Children
Treatment, Education, Prevention Writer: Emily JarvisProject Manager: Eddie ClintonSupported by donors in Asia, Australia, Europe and North America, Angkor Hospital for Children (AHC) is an independent, non-profit medical facility that is committed to providing quality healthcare to impoverished children in the Siem Reap area of Cambodia. The hospital works in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health and has done so since its founding 16 years ago. AHC’s Hospital Director, Dr. Ngoun Chan Pheaktra urges people to visit the hospital to learn about the hospital care it provides to impoverished Cambodians, and provide their support: “We receive funding from all around the globe and due to this ongoing support, we continue to deliver high quality medical care to children affected by disease and poverty in the country.”Recognised as Cambodia’s first teaching hospital, AHC first opened its doors in 1999 after Japanese-born Kenro Izu, identified the lack of accessible healthcare for poor children. “Mr Izu had a vision to do something for Cambodian children and greatly supported the hospital in the early days. He established the non-profit organisation ‘Friends Without a Border’ in 1996 and after gaining the support of 6,000 health care professionals around the world, Angkor Hospital for Children was born. Since we opened, the Hospital has witnessed immense growth from 7,000 patients a year, to treating more than 160,000 in 2014.”AHC has provided more than one million medical treatments to date, educating thousands of Cambodian health workers and hundreds of families in disease prevention along the way. “Our services are free; we reimburse travel costs,…
KPJ Healthcare
Nurturing Malaysia’s Healthcare Potential Writer: Emily JarvisProject Manager: Eddie ClintonEstablished more than 33 years ago, KPJ Healthcare Berhad Group (KPJ) currently operates 25 hospitals in Malaysia, two hospitals in Indonesia, one hospital in Bangladesh and a sizeable share in a hospital in Thailand. Coupled with its strong network of hospitals in Malaysia and the region, the business recorded significant growth in the number of patients served last year, reporting an increase of more than 100,000 patients year-on-year; taking the total number to more than 2.8 million.As a progressive healthcare provider, comprising more than 11,000 staff members across its clinical, management and administrative teams, KPJ remains committed to investing in leading-edge equipment and state-of-the-art medical technology in an effort to provide positive patient experiences, as well as improve medical and surgical outcomes. This year, the institution continues to focus energies on three areas; further developing its aged care services, growing its health tourism segment and venturing into other healthcare-related industries that will boost the level of hospital care.“These thriving sub-sectors hold tremendous potential for the future, in line with the increasing consumer demand,” said KPJ in its latest annual report.“For example, in growing the health tourism segment, our aggressive marketing strategies continue to show stellar results as we have expanded our footprint into Asia, the Middle East and East Africa.”New hospitalsAs operators of Malaysia’s largest private healthcare network, capacity expansion - including the recent enhancement of current hospitals and the building of two new facilities - has proved integral to securing growth in 2015. Also, KPJ has been…
Angkor Hospital For Children
Treatment, Education, PreventionAngkor Hospital for Children exists as a centre for excellence in paediatric healthcare that provides much needed quality medical care to Cambodians in need Writer: Emily JarvisProject Manager: Eddie ClintonSupported by donors in Asia, Australia, Europe and North America, Angkor Hospital for Children (AHC) is an independent, non-profit medical facility that is committed to providing quality healthcare to impoverished children in the Siem Reap area of Cambodia. The hospital works in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health and has done so since its founding 16 years ago. AHC’s Hospital Director, Dr. Ngoun Chan Pheaktra urges people to visit the hospital to learn about the hospital care it provides to impoverished Cambodians, and provide their support: “We receive funding from all around the globe and due to this ongoing support, we continue to deliver high quality medical care to children affected by disease and poverty in the country.”Recognised as Cambodia’s first teaching hospital, AHC first opened its doors in 1999 after Japanese-born Kenro Izu, identified the lack of accessible healthcare for poor children. “Mr Izu had a vision to do something for Cambodian children and greatly supported the hospital in the early days. He established the non-profit organisation ‘Friends Without a Border’ in 1996 and after gaining the support of 6,000 health care professionals around the world, Angkor Hospital for Children was born. Since we opened, the Hospital has witnessed immense growth from 7,000 patients a year, to treating more than 160,000 in 2014.” AHC has provided more than one million medical treatments to date, educating…
China and Africa Explore Opportunities for Collaboration on Health Care for All
More than 350 health leaders from China and Africa — including government officials, academics, and representatives from the private sector and international organisations — convened in Beijing this week at the 5th International Roundtable on China-Africa Health Collaboration. The meeting explored how Chinese and African resources and experiences can be leveraged to mutually support greater health development. Today, meeting participants officially published the Beijing Policy Recommendations, a document outlining how intercontinental cooperation can be strengthened to drive sustainable impact, with a focus on the theme; “Contributing to Universal Health Coverage, Expanding Access to Essential Medicines”. Drawing on decades of joint health efforts, the Policy Recommendations called for deepened dialogue between Chinese, African and international stakeholders, increased investments in health, and alignment with African regional and national strategies. The Recommendations emphasised commitments to a variety of issues including universal health coverage (UHC) and access to safe, high-quality drugs and vaccines, as well as the need for improved government accountability through better monitoring and evaluation. “China and Africa have a long history of health cooperation going back more than 50 years. Our partnership with Africa is focused on mutually beneficial collaboration that meets the needs of African countries while also contributing to China’s health and development,” said Dr. Ren Minghui, Director General of the Department of International Cooperation at China’s National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC). “China has a unique role to play in supporting Africa’s health progress, thanks to our advances in R&D and production of high-quality, low-cost medicines and vaccines. These lifesaving innovations have tremendous opportunity to make a…
EDB Says Eight out of 10 Japanese Pharma Companies Expanding into Singapore
More Japanese pharmaceutical companies are expanding their research and development (R&D) operations in Singapore, the Economic Development Board Chairman Beh Swan Gin commented at the opening of the Takeda Pharmaceutical office in Biopolis late February. Currently, eight out of the top 10 Japanese pharmaceutical companies have set up their regional headquarters in Singapore. Dr Beh also announced that another Japanese firm, Chugai Pharmaceutical, has committed an additional S$276 million to its antibody engineering lab in Singapore from 2017 to 2022. Japanese pharmaceutical firms are attracted to Singapore mainly because of its strong connectivity to the other markets in Asia, said Mr Beh, adding that the Republic also plays an important role in helping these pharmaceutical companies understand the regulatory environment in the fragmented marketplace in Asia.Still, Singapore is not resting on its laurels and is “expanding the network and sophistication of professional services firms that support senior decision makers in these regional headquarters”, said Dr Beh. Takeda Pharmaceutical first established its Asia-Pacific regional operations and clinical development hub in Singapore in 2008. Its new office will house its vaccine development activities, the Emerging Markets Business Unit and its regional R&D centre. Source: Channelnewsasia
