The Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah is taking steps to further enhance its growing healthcare sector through the continuation of an alliance between Arabian Healthcare Group (AHG) and CommonSpirit Health, a leading United States (US) healthcare provider.
The collaboration, first announced in 2018, means that AHG’s flagship brand, the state-of-the-art RAK Hospital, is the only healthcare institution in the entire MENA region to align with Dignity Health International (DHI), CommonSpirit’s international health representative. The unique collaboration also heralds an expansion of RAK Hospital, which will triple its capacity to become a 200-bed facility by 2024.
The critical areas of collaboration with CommonSpirit, which operates 140 hospitals and more than 1,500 care sites across 21 US states, will include digital innovation, training and education, clinical alignment, care coordination, network expansion and improving the overall patient experience.
With an emphasis on cardiac services, orthopaedics, neurosciences, musculoskeletal conditions, and rehabilitation, the expansion is designed to allow regional patients to receive fully coordinated care with access to clinical expertise across DHI’s affiliated network of doctors.
Among the care centers widely recognized with clinical expertise in DHI’s US network are the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona; Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center in Houston, Texas, and Virginia Mason Franciscan Health in Seattle, Washington.
Commenting on the new development, Dr. Raza Siddiqui, Executive Director of RAK Hospital and Arabian Healthcare Group CEO, said, “RAK Hospital was designed to be a destination hospital for local and international patients, with its specialized surgical capabilities and best-in-class facilities. Our scalable model allowed us to first win the trust and confidence of the local community and then gain immense popularity with regional and international patients. This natural progression has led to the creation of our unique relationship with CommonSpirit.”
Talking about the expansion, Dr. Siddiqui stated, “We are tripling our capacity to become a 200-bed facility by the end of 2024. This will enable us to cater to the increasing influx of medical tourists expected in the UAE and meet the increased demand for quality healthcare which will be created by implementing mandatory health insurance in the Northern Emirates in the coming years.”
Gregg Davis, CommonSpirit’s System Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for DHI stated, “This collaboration will align our physicians and nurses with providers from the AHG. It will enhance clinical capabilities available for patients within the MENA region, ultimately, impacting patient outcomes.”
DHI will support clinical education for the healthcare workforce in the region, which includes a spectrum of support for executive leadership, clinical and non-clinical training for physicians, nurses and other support services such as rehabilitation therapists and case managers.