Redefining Qatar’s healthcare ecosystemRedefining Qatar’s healthcare ecosystem

Elegancia Healthcare, part of Estithmar Holding, a healthcare leader in Qatar, is reimagining how healthcare is delivered in the country by establishing key partnerships with world-class affiliations and bringing them to the GCC. The venture’s first flagship hospital is the ‘View Hospital’, which it launched in affiliation with Cedars-Sinai in December last year. It is one of the first hospitals in the country to feature a fully hybrid operating theatre.

Nauman Niyaz Jan, Senior Director – Healthcare Ventures, Elegancia Healthcare, shared: “Our aim is to provide high-end healthcare to the people of Qatar and nurture world-class partnerships. We are achieving this by redefining how patients are being treated, from the design and planning of the institute to the care delivery models we are using. Our affiliation with Cedars-Sinai is in place for the next 10 years.”

Nauman Niyaz Jan

Furthermore, in June this year, Elegancia Healthcare will launch the ‘Korean Medical Centre (KMC)’ to bring Korean healthcare expertise to Qatar. “Korea is renowned for its medical tourism, and people from around the world travel there for cosmetics, plastic surgery, dermatology, non-invasive spinal surgeries, and IVF treatments, among others. The launch of KMC will bring these niche services to the country,” he added.

Elegancia Healthcare’s third venture is a public-private partnership (PPP) with the Qatari Armed Forces. It will involve managing and operating a 400-bed Military Medical Centre, which will be launched in Q3 of this year. The Centre is being established in partnership with Germany’s WMC Healthcare and will offer expertise in specialities such as orthopaedics and spine. The organisation also has a partnership with Korea’s ASAN Medical Centre and will collaborate with them on a healthcare screening centre.

Jan highlighted: “We are catering to the diverse population of Qatar. Some people might prefer treatment from an American healthcare system, while others might opt for German or Korean expertise. Therefore, we wanted to bring the best of all levels.”

When asked about how healthtech is paving the way for improved patient outcomes, he stressed that the GCC is ahead of the curve as it is nimble and not bogged down by legacy systems and has an investor-driven sentiment. He further said there has been a noticeable shift in the industry, as healthcare providers are keenly adopting the latest technological advancements in their clinical and non-clinical operations.

“I believe this is the right region to invest in as the healthcare providers have a growth mindset. The ecosystem is also right because the insurance models are in place to support it,” he added.

He concluded: “It is crucial to ensure that you have the right partners because with the explosion of health tech, misinformation can spread and, hence, getting the right experts to evaluate the solutions is essential. Ultimately, any technology or solution must benefit the patient. If it is not improving their lives, then it’s not a technology you need to adopt.”

This article appears in Omnia Health magazine. Read the full issue online today.