Established in 2007, VPS Healthcare is an integrated healthcare service provider, which has 22 operational hospitals, over 125 healthcare centres, and over 13,000 employees. It has one of the largest pharmaceutical manufacturing plants in Dubai and its medical support services are spread across the Middle East, Europe and India.

VPS Healthcare represents a brand image of excellence in the healthcare delivery system by offering comprehensive patient management at worldwide quality standards across the MENA Region and to the entire strata of the community. The World Economic Forum (WEF) has designated VPS Healthcare as an Industry Partner.

It is also a part of the WEF’s MENA Regional Partnership Community. VPS Healthcare is also the proud holder of the Guinness World Record for Largest Simultaneous Self-Examination for Breast Cancer 2014.

In 2010, VPS Healthcare introduced Response Plus Medical services in Abu Dhabi. Response Plus Medical services cater to the needs of the people in their worksite. It also coordinates specialized medical and ambulance services to assist medical needs during sporting and entertainment events.

Moreover, along with increasing income, the company has placed a strong emphasis on helping out communities and those in need. To spread the word about cancer, VPS Healthcare was the first private healthcare organization to use mobile mammography devices. Additionally, the company launched a worldwide mission to perform 1,000 free heart operations for those who are less fortunate financially.

For the past few years, VPS Healthcare has also been tasked with addressing the healthcare needs of Yemen war victims and Syrian refugees. Similarly, when the Indian state of Kerala was hit by the Nipah virus and catastrophic floods, the healthcare sector was the first to give assistance to the state’s government.

The brain behind this successful venture is 46-year-old Shamsheer Vayalil, an experienced entrepreneur and investor.

Who is Shamsheer Vayalil?
• Shamsheer Vayalil was born and brought up in Kerala, India
• He completed his MBBS from Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, then obtained his MD in radiology from Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, Chennai
• After completing his master’s, Shamsheer Vayalil worked as a radiologist for 12 months at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, Abu Dhabi, UAE
• In 2007, he opened his first hospital – LLH Hospital in Abu Dhabi under VPS Healthcare Group
• Between 2008 to 2018, VPS Healthcare started 20 hospitals in the Middle East, Europe and India
• In 2019, Shamsheer Vayalil was a member of the advisory committee of the University Of Sharjah College Of Medicine
• In 2020, he became the board of directors of Kannur International Airport Limited
• Shamsheer Vayalil is the recipient of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award, India’s highest civilian award presented to Non-Resident Indians
• He is also among the first investors to receive long-term residency in the UAE and Oman
• According to Forbes, as of January 2023, the net worth of Shamsheer Vayalil is around USD 3.1 Billion

Understanding Shamsheer Vayalil’s Vision

In an interview with Arab Health, he talked about what driving forces are needed for both the Middle East and Africa region to grow.

“There is a pressing need for countries to build sustainable healthcare systems, especially given the high prevalence of lifestyle-related diseases. In parallel, governments are also exploring ways to reduce their share of healthcare spending. This new landscape calls for affordable and accessible healthcare, without compromising on quality,” Shamsheer Vayalil said.

“These indicators also signal the need for us to maximise efficiencies in the healthcare sector. Innovation and the creation of new services will be a step in the right direction to drive sustainable business in this environment. As new offerings get introduced in the market, it is imperative that healthcare providers are able to work with regulators to ensure that we have the right frameworks in place, which benefit the industry, and most importantly, patients. We believe VPS Healthcare’s value-based approach to healthcare has the potential to unlock benefits for patients and help shape the future of the industry, despite the underlying challenges we face,” he added.

Shamsheer Vayalil also noted some trends in the UAE healthcare industry.

“The UAE has already begun building a sustainable healthcare roadmap. The services and infrastructure are both constantly evolving in order to exceed international healthcare standards, thus promoting medical tourism. This, in turn, is attracting foreign investment and is drawing in more healthcare practitioners every year. The UAE is also developing into a robust pharmaceutical hub. Now we need to build a strong pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity to cater to global demand and align with the country’s aspirations to transition into a knowledge economy. We are very proud that LIFEPharma, our pharmaceutical manufacturing company, which has a facility in Jebel Ali Free Zone, and will be opening another facility in Abu Dhabi, is helping lead this transformation,” he concluded.

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The MoU signed by Saudi Minister of Energy Prince Abdul Aziz bin Salman and the head of the SDAIA, Dr. Abdullah bin Sharaf Al Ghamdi. Saudi Minister of Health, Dr. Tawfiq Bin Fawzan Al Rabiah said that the agreement will expand the provision of AI services in the health field in an effort to improve the service of citizens and expatriates in various medical fields.

Recently, the Kingdom inaugurated the Artificial Intelligence Center for Energy which will promote the use of AI, its research and development efforts and also support innovation and enable entrepreneurship.

Prince Abdul Aziz told the media, “By 2024, 70 percent of the institutions will be using the AI-based infrastructure and smart cloud services, greatly easing the concerns regarding the institutions’ integration and expansion. In addition, more than 50 percent of the institutions will be resorting to AI services to expand their application portfolios by 2023.”

Earlier this month, Prince Jalawi bin Abdul Aziz bin Musaed also inaugurated the region’s 100-day health projects. According to the health minister, the project would cost around $16 million which includes the establishment and development of primary healthcare centers and the restoration and equipping of hospital units in the region.

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The terms of the transactions were not disclosed.

With regard to the investment in PCI Pharma, head of Pharma & Medtech at Mubadala, Camilla Macapili Languille told the media, “Outsourced pharmaceutical services has been a key investment theme for us over the past few years, and we are excited to be partnering with one of the global leaders in this industry.

“We have been particularly impressed by the quality and depth of PCI’s management team, as well as the company’s strong execution track record, impeccable values, and distinct vision for the long-term development of their business. We have strong conviction in the company’s growth trajectory and are committed to working with Kohlberg and Partners Group to ensure their long-term success.”

The Philadelphia-headquartered company spans a global footprint of 25 facilities across six countries and employs 3,900 people worldwide.

Through the investment in PCI Pharma, Mubadala expects to improve its customer service experience and enable its customers to bring lifesaving biopharmaceutical therapies to market.

Earlier this year, Mubadala Investment Company acquired a 1.85 percent stake in India’s Reliance Jio in a deal worth $1.21 billion.

Launched in 2016, Reliance Jio has established itself as a telecom giant in India in a short spell due to its competitive pricing strategy. Backed by multibillionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Jio disrupted the Indian telecom sector which led to many telcos exiting the market with Vodafone on the brink of shutting down its business in India.

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The initiatives, launched by STC, are in line with the precautionary measures undertaken by the kingdom to help fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

One of the initiatives is called the ‘Virtual Clinic’ service, which enables communication between patients and doctors, and the EMI service for managing, storing, and displaying medical images easily and remotely.

Another digital initiative called Tari, allows doctors and healthcare workers to activate notifications in a manner the surpasses any other traditional system.

Riyadh Saeed Muawad, senior VP of Enterprise Business Unit at STC told the media, “These initiatives are part of the company’s efforts as a digital enabler and are in line with Saudi Vision 2030 to digitize the infrastructure of the health care sector and provide suitable services to facilitate and automate the work of our health care heroes so that we may overcome all challenges brought about by this crisis.”

In the month of April,  STC doubled its operational efficiency and awareness outreach of 22 of its health care centers in Saudi Arabia.

The telco also launched a $26.7 million initiative as a part of the it’s partnership with the Ministry of Health, aimed at preventing the spread of the COVID-19 disease in the kingdom, as well as its commitment to long-lasting social initiatives.

Reportedly, the 22 health care centers developed by STC over the years provide services to more than 5 million beneficiaries and patients.

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The healthcare fund will be launched by Mubadala’s venture capital arm and will invest in digital health technology and life science.Mubadala is expected to launch the healthcare fund in 2021.

Ibrahim Ajami, head of Mubadala Ventures told the media, “We are considering next year developing a sort of healthcare-specific fund that can be focused on life sciences and healthcare over the coming decade. Our view is that investments in this space are only going to accelerate moving forward.”

“It is proven now that one epidemic like this can bring down the entire world. The role of technology becomes very, very important, specifically in life sciences and the healthcare space.”

He further revealed that the size of the healthcare fund will be bigger than the funds earlier launched by Mubadala, such as the $437.24 million European fund last year.

Mubadala has also launched funds such as the $400 million US-focused fund and a $250 million Middle East and North Africa (MENA) fund in the last four years.

Mubadala has also invested in VIR Biotechnology, a healthcare firm that is developing a treatment for novel coronavirus, which has pushed the entire world in a state of lockdown.

Reportedly, Mubadala Investment Company is mulling investing in NMC Health, which is the UAE’s largest healthcare company. Mubadala is considering options such as buying a stake in NMC Health and also acquiring a board seat.

Mudabala’s decision to invest in NMC Health comes at a time when the healthcare company is undergoing an investigation by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority over allegations of fraud.

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Mubadala is considering options such as buying a stake in NMC Health and also acquiring a board seat.

Mudabala’s decision to invest in NMC Health comes at a time when the healthcare company is undergoing an investigation by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority over allegations of fraud.

Carson Block’s Muddy Waters Capital has alleged that NMC Health’s financial statements hint at potential overpayment for assets, inflated cash balances and understated debt. NMC Health, however, has denied the allegations.

The investment decision also highlights the government’s decision to support the troubled healthcare business in order to maintain the kingdom’s reputation of being a key regional hub for business.

Mubadala is also looking to expand into the healthcare sector as the UAE takes various measures to reduce the economy’s dependency on oil.

Other investors that are also mulling investing in NMC Health beside Mubadala include Italian hospital operator Gruppo Ospedaliero San Donato. According to the company, they are working on a possible offer by working with their financial advisers.

Last month, local media houses reported that Mubadala is also planning to acquire Jadwa Investment’s healthcare assets in the UAE.

Reportedly, Mubadala is currently working on a deal with Rothschild for the healthcare assets. However, it is unclear which of the Jadwa’s healthcare assets in UAE will be included in Mubadala’s deal.

Last year, Mubadala Investment’s fully-owned subsidiary Mubadala healthcare, acquired Amana Healthcare, the region’s leading provider of long-term care, specialised rehabilitation, and home healthcare services.

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Reportedly, Mubadala is currently working on a deal with Rothschild to acquire Jadwa’s healthcare assets. However, it is unclear which of the Jadwa’s healthcare assets in UAE will be included in Mubadala’s deal.

Last year, Mubadala Investment’s fully-owned subsidiary Mubadala healthcare, acquired Amana Healthcare, the region’s leading provider of long-term care, specialised rehabilitation, and home healthcare services.

The acquisition helped Mubadala Healthcare further expand its network which includes Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Healthpoint, Imperial College London Diabetes Centre, National Reference Laboratory, Abu Dhabi Telemedicine, and Capital Health Screening Centre.

According to Abdulla Abdul Aziz Al Shamsi, Head of Mubadala Healthcare, the acquisition of Amana Healthcare gives Mubadala’s customers the benefit of extended continuum-of-care services, all of which contribute to the company’s vision of a world-class integrated health system for the people in the UAE.

The acquisition was also the first investment made by Mubadala Healthcare in a UAE-based healthcare company.

According to local media reports, UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) launched a blockchain platform for storing healthcare and pharmaceutical data.

Co-developed by the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, Dubai Healthcare City and other healthcare authorities in the region, the blockchain platform is part of the UAE’s plan to integrate artificial intelligence with healthcare in the UAE.

The platform, which will be available through the Ministry of Health and Prevention’s application, will facilitate the recording and storing of health and pharmaceutical data. The platform can also be used to search for health facilities, licensed medical practitioners, and their expertise.

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The UAE smart healthcare app facilitates communication between deaf and mute patients and medical practitioners. The UAE healthcare app is designed to help doctors and medical providers better understand the health conditions of such patients.

According to media reports, the healthcare app launched by the UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention converts sign language into audible speech and audible speech into sign language using deep neural networks.

Awad Al Ketbi, Assistant Undersecretary at UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention’s Support Services Sector told the media,” “This is in line with the vision of our government to implement the National Policy to Empower People of Determination and give them priority in decisions and procedures in all government entities.”

“The app will help bridge the communication gap between the medical team and patients. It reads patients’ expressions and turns them into an audible speech for doctors, through a highly intelligent digital translation. This would lead to better utilisation of patients’ capabilities and achieve social equality across our health facilities.”

Recently, the Ministry of Health and Prevention also launched an AI-backed device that evaluates diabetic food wounds. According to the ministry, the device is now available at diabetes clinics in health centres and hospitals across the UAE.

According to Dr. Hussein Abdel Rahman Al Rand, Undersecretary of the Ministry’s Health Assistant Sector, Health Centres and Clinics, the project is part of the ministry’s plan to integrate AI into medical services in the UAE.

Similarly, the ministry launched another device that can detect seasonal influenza in less than 13 minutes and provide results in five minutes or less.

Yesterday, Dubai kicked off the Arab Health 2020 event, which is the largest healthcare event globally.

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Around 55,000 healthcare professionals and 4250 companies from 159 countries will take part in Arab Health 2020 and exhibit healthtech, different products and services and also showcase all the medical breakthroughs made in the Middle East and the North African (MENA) region.

The Arab Health 2020 event, which will run for 4 consecutive days, will also include the ‘Innov8 Talks’ segment which provides a platform for SMEs from the region to showcase their products and innovation when it comes to the healthcare sector.

Ross Williams, Exhibition Director at Arab Health told the media, “Now in its 45th year, Arab Health continues to be the leading platform for the MENA healthcare industry to build relationships with international stakeholders and to showcase the latest innovation and technology in the healthcare sector.”

“We have a very specific mandate to facilitate business opportunities within the region while also advancing industry knowledge, something we have facilitated successfully for over four decades.”

The event will also see the introduction of two new segments which will focus on investment in healthcare and infrastructure. While the Healthcare Investment Forum will address investment in healthtech, real estate, and future investment opportunities, the Healthcare Infrastructure Forum will focus on the lifecycle of a healthcare facility; starting from the vision, its design, development, management and operation.

Arab Health 2019 was a major success as it witnessed a 5.9 percent increase in business from $778 million in 2018 to $824 in 2019.

The event, which is organised by Informa Markets, starts at 10 am and will conclude at 5 pm.

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The Kingdom’s National Transformation Plan envisages a larger share for the private sector in the healthcare spending and the nationwide deployment of digital healthcare technologies. The Saudi Arabian ministry of health targets at least 70 percent of the local population having unified electronic healthcare records (EHR) by 2020. Equally important is the reform of the primary healthcare system focusing on improved integration with the national healthcare system while ensuring continuity in services offered.

Among the strategic initiatives mentioned by the NTP are increase in training, both nationally and internationally, improvements in infrastructure, facilities management, and safety standards; identifying additional sources of revenue, as well as investing in improving the skills of healthcare providers. The Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia is also interested in increasing public private partnerships through the privatisation of at least one of the medical cities and the localisation of the pharmaceutical industry.

Foreign investors interested in investing in healthcare in Saudi Arabia might find opportunities in setting up additional private medical facilities, healthcare education, deployment of digital healthcare technologies or healthtech, and local manufacture of pharmaceuticals. In an exclusive interview with International Finance, Emmeline Roodenburg, Head of Healthcare for KPMG in the Saudi Levant Cluster talks about the readiness of the Saudi healthcare system for digital technology deployment and the challenges facing Saudi healthcare.

In an earlier role, Emmeline Roodenburg was one of the lead directors in a $100 million KPMG engagement to transform New York state’s healthcare system in the US. Her areas of expertise include international health systems with a focus on care system redesign, including value-based payment systems, provider transformation, life sciences and change management.

International Finance: What are the current barriers to IoT healthcare implementation in Saudi Arabia and how can they be overcome?

Emmeline Roodenburg Technical, administrative, and legal barriers exist. Technical barriers are the full implementation of health information systems that are automated and interoperable at national level, between emerging clusters and providers (and patients!) within the clusters. Central coordination is the key. Many countries in the world would like to press the ‘reset button’ when it comes to IoT healthcare implementation.

Saudi Arabia actually gets the opportunity to be the architect of a well-functioning system and should (will) grab that chance with both hands. The administrative challenges, that are inevitable in any IoT implementation, should be tackled through cultural training and development of healthcare staff to adopt and promote the use of IoT, especially with regards to patient care. Legal barriers, as anywhere else in the world, need clear policies on data sharing, privacy and recovery, and backup plans on information systems and the robustness of those systems.

With the increasing adoption of technology-driven healthcare in Saudi Arabia, how will healthcare organisations assuage consumers concerns on issues such as data safety?

As said earlier, clear policies on how data is shared with transparency of guidelines and a national stance on these is important. However, we need to be cautious about overregulation. The downside is that development of algorithms, which lead to smarter, targeted personalised care, can be slowed down if data protection is getting the overhand.

How do patient management systems in Saudi Arabia compare with the developed world?

Saudi Arabia is rapidly catching up with executing patient management systems, however, the implementation of full electronic health records that are used for patient care are still not in place, especially, where it matters the most such as in primary and community care. This includes proper coded records that allow for population health management to be implemented and financial mechanisms aligned with quality metrics.

Saudi Arabia has seen a change in pattern of prevalent diseases from communicable diseases to chronic diseases. How can the healthcare system in Saudi Arabia meet the increasing demand for chronic disease treatment?

Saudi Arabia is moving to population health management systems that will be essential to managing chronic diseases. As data begins to be gathered robustly on prevalence of diseases and segmentation of patients becomes possible, the Kingdom can proactively target patients. Using technology to drive these interventions, such as digital behavioural management programmes supplemented with offline care management systems, will achieve better outcomes and better patient satisfaction.

Crucially, and I understand this will take time, but specifically on prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases, I am a strong believer in alternative payment systems that reward providers for their added value, the patient outcomes. Finally, consumers or patients can be incentivised to take their health more into their own hands.

How important is Public Healthcare Centre reforms to the improvement of healthcare outcomes in Saudi Arabia?

Extremely important as the areas of reform are geared towards a shift to population health management, involving patients in their care and shifting care to the most appropriate settings.

Are the healthcare information systems in Saudi Arabia mature enough for the implementation of the latest healthcare technologies? If not, how can the gap be closed?

They are not currently. The trick is not to go for the simplest systems that are just good enough, but to go for the best new-generation systems that are fully interoperable – not just from the system point of view – but also from the patient perspective in how consumers of healthcare expect to interact with their health systems through their mobile phones and wearables and apps. Systems need the backbone and infrastructure to be robustly developed so that machine learning, remote diagnostics, and treatments can be superimposed.

What are the challenges to the deployment of healthtech systems in Saudi Arabian hospitals and how can these challenges be overcome?

There are many, but one of the biggest challenges remains the cultural shift that busy healthcare workers will have to make to get systems integrated in their daily way of working. The best systems fail when healthcare staff is not engaged in the implementation. A definite digital dip occurs when new systems are implemented and it is essential to stay close to the difficulties front line staff face and help iron those out as quickly as possible.

Has the Saudi Telemedicine Network brought any discernible improvements to healthcare outcomes in Saudi Arabia?

We know that systems that have a good data and telecom coverage generally achieve better universal health coverage. This is the same for Saudi Arabia.

What challenges do an increasing population and ageing bring to the Saudi healthcare system? What investments are needed to meet these challenges?

An ageing population brings the challenge of increasing comorbid conditions and frailty that need a different healthcare response for the 21st century. The cost of care goes up, so keeping care in the right setting which is in the community, and wrapping interventions that allow for keeping independence at home with supportive structures like multidisciplinary teams that are geared and trained to support people at home will be needed, supported through technology. In addition to improved home and community care, investment is needed in long-term care, specifically nursing homes.

What does the private healthcare sector need to do to meet the government’s target of raising the private healthcare’s share of healthcare expenditure to 35 percent from 25 percent?

The shift in shares is a combination from a shift from public to private, but also private providers simply offering access to care and services that didn’t exist before. The biggest contribution that the private healthcare sector can make to fill the gaps in care that are going to be required in 21st century care such as investment in remote and point of care diagnostics and monitoring, offering different models of care like home multidisciplinary teams, technology-enabled care coordination of chronic comorbid conditions, investment in artificial intelligence and personalised medicine, digital pathology and at the high-end training and development of professionals, to be able to use robotic interventions and new treatment techniques. The government, in return, is going to have (to continue to) fulfil its part to help create the right environment and payment mechanisms to allow this to happen, in collaboration through public private partnerships.

How can the government increase the rate of Saudisation in the healthcare sector?

The biggest challenge that modern day medicine faces today is going to be the skills gap and the healthcare workforce shortages. Even after optimisation of the current facilities, the gaps are dazzling. A skills transfer is going to be needed quickly as other countries rapidly industrialise and keep their workforce at home. The beauty of Saudi Arabia is that the female workforce participation is growing rapidly. I am not saying it will be easy, but it brings great opportunity for Saudisation in the healthcare sector.

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