Johns Hopkins Medicine and the General Authority for
Health Services in the United Arab Emirates have agreed to
a 10-year affiliation that involves the management of the
Tawam Hospital in Abu Dhabi, one of the largest and most
prestigious hospitals in the country. The affiliation
provides Johns Hopkins Medicine with complete managerial
oversight of the 469-bed hospital.
Johns Hopkins has been involved in a number of
international medical projects that have included academic
and clinical advisement, including projects in Turkey,
Singapore, China and Panama. However, with the Tawam
agreement, Johns Hopkins will contribute additional
services to include hospital management and operational
resources for a hospital outside the United States.
In making the announcement last week, Steven J.
Thompson, senior vice president of JHM and CEO of JHM
International, said, "Johns Hopkins has been waiting for
just the right partner and the right opportunity before
entering into the hospital management sector. Similar to
Johns Hopkins, the General Authority for Health Services is
committed to providing the highest quality care to the
people of the U.A.E., and the Tawam Hospital is recognized
in the region for its quality patient care delivery. We are
very pleased with this partnership."
The agreement, which takes effect March 1, foresees a
nine-month assessment of the hospital's needs, during which
Hopkins-appointed leadership will start to work on the
implementation of management systems and establishment of
Centers of Excellence in several clinical specialties. JHM
International will provide the administrative and
organizational support services for the partnership.
One of the first initiatives by the Hopkins team will
be assisting in the establishment of an oncology center of
excellence. The center will treat the most common types of
cancer, as well as those prevalent in the Middle East, such
as lung, prostate and breast cancer. A wide range of
treatments will be offered, and the latest information will
be available to physicians and patients from The Johns
Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.
Ahmed Mubarak Al-Mazroei, CEO of the General Authority
for Health Services, said, "We want to improve health care
not only for our local community but ultimately for the
country and the whole region. This will not be a simple
consulting project but a long-term relationship that will
empower our own health professionals."
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