KUWAIT: DHAMAN's Executive Management & Ribera's Team Health Assurance Hospitals Company (DHAMAN) started preparations to operate the health system, through working with the team of the international operator, the Spanish company Ribera Salud, which will operate DHAMAN's health network of primary healthcare centers and hospitals distributed in the various governorates of Kuwait.
Ribera Salud's long experience extends over more than 25 years in Spain and a number of other countries in applying and managing the health system with the highest international operating quality standards and shall work side by side with the medical and administrative staff of DHAMAN.
![](https://www.kuwaittimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/p10a-6-150x150.jpg)
In this context, Alberto De Rosa, President of Ribera Salud, explained that "Ribera, being an international operator specializing in integrated health systems, seeks to achieve three main goals that are summarized in improving the experience of patient care in terms of quality and patient satisfaction, improving the health of the target group, and at the same time reducing the cost of healthcare for the individual".
Ribera will focus on leveraging DHAMAN's existing resources, avoiding redundancy and duplication, enhancing patient experience and raising the quality of services. Ribera will also develop a management model that aims to properly deal with the target segments, implemented by specialized professional staff. It is expected that DHAMAN's patients will benefit from the integration of different levels of healthcare (primary and secondary healthcare) by obtaining comprehensive attention and faster communication.
Alberto added that there are positive elements for DHAMAN that work in favor of successful implementation of its system, the most important of which is the presence of a unified vision among the company's employees with the availability of all the necessary tools and resources that achieve the company's vision in improving efficiency and results, stressing Ribera Salaud's keenness to work with local staff, Kuwaitis and other nationalities, side by side with the Spanish team.
He noted that the technology elements available at DHAMAN are characterized by comprehensiveness, interoperability and integration to support all basic aspects of managing and coordinating clinical care, in addition to promoting community health and involving beneficiaries in prevention and treatment decisions and other resource management, compliance and financial management processes.
He stressed that information technology and human resources are essential for this responsible health model that DHAMAN will implement. Both are essential in the way they will allow all patients to be provided with access to personalized, preventive, predictive and participatory healthcare, as DHAMAN puts patients at the heart of its business, and they will actively participate in their own care, and that it provides them with the technology and support they need, as well as the necessary facilities and equipment.
![](https://www.kuwaittimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/p10b-1.jpg)
On the other hand, De Rosa said that the health sector in Kuwait suffered a lot as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, as did many countries around the world. He believes that there are three elements that exert pressure on health care systems, which threatens the viability and existence of existing health systems, which are high costs, worsening waiting lists for surgeries, and delays in diagnosis and treatment. De Rosa praised the efforts of the Kuwaiti government in finding a system to involve the private health sector in mitigating potential future risks to the health sector, as Kuwait is working hard to create a transformative healthcare model, and this model will combine the efforts of the public and private sectors to provide patient-centered healthcare, with better health outcomes and quality for all residents.
Ribera Salud commenced its operations more than 25 years ago by focusing on innovation, flexibility and best practices in the government healthcare system. Since its inception, Ribera has led and managed five integrated health networks in Spain within the programs of the Spanish government. The company also participated in the first two hospitals established in Latin America according to the government-private partnership (PPP) model and managed the largest government central laboratory in the capital, Madrid. In addition to obtaining a Partnership Contract (PPP) in Portugal, which will start operating in 2024. Ribera manages hospital projects and specialized healthcare services in Spain, Latin America and Europe, and Ribera also owns a nursing college, a professional training center, a purchasing center, a laboratory department, a technology company and a dedicated institution for research, training and health enhancement.
It is worth noting that Ribera also has work experience in Saudi Arabia, where it developed a detailed implementation plan for the integrated health system for the Eastern Province. It also collaborated with the Procurement Health Assurance Program to improve the Ministry of Health's public hospital readiness assessment tool. In addition, Ribera has evaluated King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSH) and King Khalid Eye Specialist Hospital in Riyadh.
It is worth noting that DHAMAN is the first healthcare institution in the Middle East in partnership between the public and private sectors (PPP), and the largest company in Kuwait in terms of the number of individuals covered by health assurance coverage, as it provides the new mandatory health insurance to 1.8 million expats working in the private sector (Residency Article 18 and their families), through an integrated healthcare network composed of centers and hospitals throughout Kuwait, including health assurance programs.