UAE- Avivo Group eyes new partnerships

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Avivo Group is looking for mergers, acquisitions and new partnerships to focus more on super specialised healthcare services, its chief executive officer Dr Dilshaad Ali has revealed.

At present, Avivo Group offers an array of healthcare services, both general and specialised ones, through more than 220 qualified doctors and over 1,200 employees serving more than one million patients a year.

"The group is redefining itself with a new business model and moving towards super speciality healthcare for future growth. We believe that although general healthcare remains relatively attractive for some in the industry, we reviewed our business strategies and have decided to focus our resources on bridging the gap in complexity management. Most of the group's general healthcare assets will be transformed into speciality clinics," Dr Ali explained. "We will also relook at the existing specialities that do not fulfil the current demographic needs."

The group has begun strategic initiatives to work with super speciality providers in the healthcare sector from around the world, he said. "We are in discussions with several global providers to come and partner with us for this new business model. This is in line with what the UAE and the region needs at this time."

"The management is shifting its focus from low revenue high volume businesses to more complex, high revenue specialities that deliver exceptional outcomes. We have been seeing a drastic drop in reimbursements by insurers and third-party administrators for general healthcare. The consolidation of providers in this segment will help stabilise the industry as well. The industry needs serious reform to ensure sustainability," he stressed. "While Dubai embarks on being a medical tourism hub for the region, we align ourselves to meet the domestic demand and the medical tourists coming to Dubai who are more in need of medical institutions that offer specialised care for complex medical conditions and deliver high-value care."

Dubai is likely to host 500,000 medical tourists by 2020, according to a report by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA),

"Realising this transformation will not happen in a single step but requires an overarching strategy. It will require restructuring how healthcare delivery is organised, measured and reimbursed. Serving patients with world-class outcomes and exceptional experiences has always been the core mission of the Group. Avivo has built a forte in super specialities and will keep growing on its strengths. Healthcare leaders must deploy an effective strategy to ensure the vitality of their organisations. Therefore, the group decided to cater to the shifting patient needs. The new business strategy will also help us focus more on delivering innovative and the latest deployments currently not available in the UAE," he added.

"Focusing more on specialised healthcare is likely to keep UAE residents from seeking treatment abroad," said Ali, referring to the latest Federal National Council report, which revealed that the number of patients from the UAE who are travelling abroad for treatment has risen by up to 10 per cent per year.

Another report by the DHA has pointed out that the total expenditure of overseas treatment by Emirati patients in 2016 was Dh623 million. The same study also highlighted that the demand for healthcare is expected to grow due to an increase in the number of elderly to 11 per cent in 2032 and 29 per cent in 2050.

"Avivo Group strives to provide access to the right care with the right specialisation to UAE residents at their doorstep. We are confident this refreshing change in the way we contribute to the nation would be a step in the right direction," Ali added.

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