Ras Al Khaimah announces expansion of healthcare sector

Arabian Healthcare Group (AHG) and US provider CommonSpirit Health advance with their collaboration to improve healthcare in the norther emirate of Ras Al Khaimah.

Under development plans AHG’s ‘flagship’ facility, the RAK hospital is set to triple capacity by 2024, increasing the number of patient beds to 200. Through the alliance of AHG and CommonSpirit in 2018, the RAK hospital became the only medical facility in the MENA region to be affiliated with Dignity Health International (DHI), making it popular with both international and national patients. The expansion will allow the hospital to keep up with increased patient demand whilst providing ‘high quality care’.

The partnership named digital innovation, training and education, clinical alignment, care coordination, network expansion and improving the overall patient experience as other key focuses. They said developments will give regional patients access to expert medical care through DHI’s world-wide network of doctors specialising in cardiac services, orthopedics, neurosciences, musculoskeletal conditions, and rehabilitation.

“RAK Hospital was designed to be a destination hospital for both local and international patients, with its specialized surgical capabilities and best-in-class facilities.” said Dr Raza Siddiqui, Executive Director of RAK Hospital and Arabian Healthcare Group CEO. “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.”

“We are tripling our capacity to become a 200-bed facility by the end of 2024,” continued Dr Siddiqui. “This will enable us to cater to the increasing influx of medical tourists expected in the United Arab Emirates, as well as to meet the increased demand for quality health care which will be created by implementation of mandatory health insurance in the Northern Emirates in the coming years. The expansion will equip us to serve local and international patients with high-quality care.”

“The design process has already begun for the expansion, which is in line with DHI’s best practices and protocols. Patients in the region will get US expertise right here in Ras Al Khaimah.”

As part of the expansion RAK hospital will benefit from upgraded digital and smart health practices as well as improved telehealth services.

"We look forward to expanding our current working relationship with AHG,” said Gregg Davis, CommonSpirit’s system senior vice president and chief administrative officer for DHI. “This collaboration will align our physicians and nurses with providers from AHG, enhancing clinical capabilities available for patients within the MENA region and, ultimately, impacting patient outcomes.”

The collaboration said their main objective is to provide excellent medical care through ‘sharing best practices and innovations across borders’.