ShareKUWAIT: In a strategic step within its preparation for operating its health network, Health Assurance Hospitals Company (DHAMAN) announced the signing of a contract for managing and operating its medical services with the Spanish Company Ribera Salud, an expert in providing healthcare for more than 30 years in Spain and other several countries. The signing ceremony was attended by a number of DHAMAN Board members, CEO Thamer Arab and a number of company officials, and from Ribera Salud, Santiago Delgado, CEO for Strategy and Development, and Carlos Morata Pons, Director of Business Development. DHAMAN Chairman, Mutlaq Al-Sanea said, "We are pleased with this important step, which comes within our preparations to operate the DHAMAN network in compliance with the terms of the bidding document, through the cooperation with the international expert operator in implementing and managing the healthcare network with the highest standards of international operation quality, which will work together with the medical and administrative staff at DHAMAN."
He added, "There is no doubt that DHAMAN model, in providing its healthcare services is a unique model and will be applied for the first time in the Middle East, that is based on both the prevention and treatment of systems, which in turn will relieve the pressure on the Ministry of Health by providing the healthcare services to expats beneficiaries working in the private sector (Article 18) and their families", adding that "We in DHAMAN are working to build a healthy society and achieve leadership in the quality of healthcare".
Al-Sanea also said that DHAMAN is the largest project of the developmental plan in Kuwait in terms of capital, which amounts to 230 million Kuwaiti dinars and the first initiative to support the medical sector in Kuwait, which is considered one of the largest sectors that drains the state budget, as it will raise the healthcare indicators and reduce the government financial and administrative burdens, in addition to supporting the economic diversification through the healthcare services.
On his part, Alberto de Rosa, the President of Ribera Salud said, "We are pleased to work in Kuwait with DHAMAN, which is the first company to implement the HMO model in the Middle East. We have felt DHAMAN's keenness to achieve its strategy in providing medical services to a wide segment of the population". He added, "We have the experience required to run a network of this size in cooperation with the DHAMAN team who have the local expertise, which will undoubtedly be reflected on the level of services that will be provided in the primary healthcare centers and hospitals".
It is noteworthy that through this contract, Ribera Salud will manage and operate DHAMAN's network and its medical facilities in cooperation with the local team, to implement DHAMAN model that is based on providing high-quality health services while reducing the costs of the medical expenditures. Ribera Salud provides its medical services to more than one million people in Spain through 76 primary healthcare centers and 12 hospitals, which also provides its services through a number of subsidiaries in Spain and abroad such as Saudi Arabia. Ribera Salud services are studied as a successful model in the best international universities, such as Harvard University and Berkeley University.
Health Assurance Hospitals Company (DHAMAN) has completed two hospitals in Ahmadi and Jahra governorates with a capacity of 660 beds, in addition to four primary healthcare centers distributed in different governorates, which are currently operating as private centers that receive all healthcare seekers in preparation for the launching of DHAMAN network and the reception of the segment that will benefit from its services.
