The University of Pennsylvania Health System is the latest U.S. provider to seek a foothold in the United Arab Emirates. Penn Medicine has entered into a strategic partnership with VPS Healthcare, an integrated delivery network based in Abu Dhabi that also offers hospital management services.
Penn will offer research, patient care and educational services to VPS, the two organizations said, and will consider co-developing standards of care and producing medical conferences. VPS also sees the partnership as a way to advance its work in preventing and treating chronic conditions like diabetes and cardiovascular disease, in line with national goals in the UAE.
“We believe the timing is right for such a relationship,” Phil Okala, Penn Medicine’s senior vice president for business development, said in a prepared statement. “VPS’ strategic view on how to manage chronic diseases, health and wellness and the comprehensive delivery of healthcare services makes it a good fit for this partnership and I believe VPS is the right partner for us.”
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Penn also will give VPS nurses access to the American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet recognition program and assist VPS in development of an advanced oncology operation, according to UAE newspaper The National. In conjunction with the partnership announcement, the Abu Dhabi health system unveiled plans to build a cancer hospital.
“Oncology is one space where we were very interested to collaborate,” said VPS Healthcare Managing Director Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil. “[Penn has] already started looking at our systems and trying to make sure that we provide the entire service spectrum in our new project,” he continued. “We expect to have all of the latest technology in cancer, including a proton beam, which is only available in a few centers around the world.”
Photo: ME NewsWire
