Healthcare | Sunday 31 January, 2016 2:02 pm |

VPS Healthcare, one of the fastest growing integrated healthcare service providers in the Middle East, Europeand India, and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), one of the largest, oldest and most-respected children's hospitals in the world, officially unveiled their strategic alliance. The announcement was made today by Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil, Founder & Managing Director of VPS Healthcare; Madeline Bell, President & CEO of CHOP; and Dr. Ali Obaid Al Ali, CEO of Abu Dhabi Hospitals at VPS; during the Arab Health Congress at the Dubai International Exhibition & Convention Center.

This is the first of several joint initiatives emanating from the memorandum of understanding signed last October in which both organizations committed to establishing standards of excellence for pediatric care at VPS hospitals and clinics. The move will offer families close-to-home access to world-class pediatric care. The alliance also ensures that any VPS pediatric patients who need more specialized treatment will have seamless access to CHOP's main hospital in Philadelphia.

VPS plans to set up a state-of-the-art facility - scheduled to open in 2017 - that marks a significant step forward in offering the most advanced medical care to the children of the United Arab Emirates and across the Middle East. VPS and CHOP, which is one of the top-ranked hospitals for children in the U.S., will conduct a gap analysis of the current state of pediatric care in order to institute specific steps in enhancing local training, technology and treatments to provide world-class patient care in the UAE. This analysis and continual evaluation will dramatically improve local capabilities and inform the scope and range of specialized, critically needed pediatric care provided by VPS hospitals and clinics.

"We are thrilled to have the world-renowned Children's Hospital of Philadelphia help us better serve the healthcare needs of families in the region," said Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil. "This relationship sharpens our focus and commitment to raise the standards of medical care for our patients and the people of the Middle Eastwho need it most, no more so than children, including those innocent victims of the continuing humanitarian crisis in other parts of the region," he added.

"This alliance marks many exciting firsts, as it is both my first visit to the UAE and CHOP's first alliance of its kind in the Middle East. VPS Healthcare's innovative approach and growing presence in the region creates an ideal opportunity for us to share our expertise and capabilities in order to help build local capacity, while also providing a unique opportunity for CHOP to expand and increase our international expertise," commented Madeline Bell. 

The agreement illustrates VPS Healthcare's ongoing work to expand its reach and impact in three vital areas: increasing the access and availability of best-in-class healthcare for the people and communities it serves; treating and preventing a range of prevalent illnesses to eliminate significant healthcare deficiencies among large portions of the population; and, improving the quality and duration of life and well-being for the millions of patients who rely on their care.

In addition to the facility, both organizations will also provide medical education, training, and conferences to optimize service lines. This unique alliance will empower doctors not just across VPS's provider network, but also in the region, and improve the quality, scope and breadth of treatment. VPS physicians will also engage in a mutually beneficial two-way dialogue and travel to CHOP to observe and incorporate their best practices and continuing education.

"The creation of the region's very first pediatric center in consultation with specialists from world-renowned Children's Hospital of Philadelphia comes at a time when the UAE is in drastic need of establishing a systematic approach to broadening and improving pediatric care across a range of specialties," said Dr. Ali Obaid Al Ali. He added the needs are more drastic across the region. "According to the World Health Organization, more than 26,000 mothers and 845,000 children under five years of age die each year across the Middle East," he said.

Today's news follows a year of substantial growth for VPS, which last year treated over 2.5 million patients, along with forging several international partnerships/alliances in the public and private sector. In November, VPS announced a strategic partnership between the University of Pennsylvania Health System to address the impact of the UAE's rising population and the increase in lifestyle-related diseases. Earlier in 2015, VPS and Seoul St. Mary's in South Korea opened the Marina Health Promotion Centre in the Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi, a first-of-its-kind for the UAE, multidisciplinary preventive care center focused on cardiovascular health and cancer prevention.