Johns Hopkins Medicine Enters Agreement with the General Health Authority for Health Services to Manage Tawam Hospital in the United Arab Emirates

Johns Hopkins Medicine
Office of Corporate Communications
Media Contacts:
Claudia Costabile; 410-735-6584; ccostab1@jhmi.edu
Scott Holcomb; 410-735-6581; sholcom1@jhmi.edu
February 20, 2006

Johns Hopkins Medicine Enters Agreement with the General Health Authority for Health Services to Manage Tawam Hospital in the United Arab Emirates
Agreement has Johns Hopkins Medicine assuming administrative and operational oversight of Abu Dhabi’s largest hospital.

Johns Hopkins Medicine and the General Authority for Health Services in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) 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, among others. However, with the Tawam agreement, Johns Hopkins will contribute additional services to include hospital management and operational resources for a hospital outside of the United States. 

“Johns Hopkins has been waiting for just the right partner and the right opportunity before entering into the hospital management sector, says Steven J. Thompson, senior vice president of Johns Hopkins Medicine and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine International.  “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. Johns Hopkins Medicine 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 excellent. 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, U.S.A.

 “We want to improve health care not only for our local community, but ultimately for the country and the whole region. We understand that excellence in health care is a continuous search for improvement, the same way that Hopkins does, and this partnership will bring benefits for all of our citizens,” said Dr. Ahmed Mubarak Al-Mazroei, chief executive officer of the General Authority for Healthcare Services. “This will not be a simple consulting project, but a long-term relationship that will empower our own health professionals. Of course, collaborations with Johns Hopkins physicians will always be welcomed, but we want to make a difference to our people, and the best way to do it is giving our doctors and researchers tools that will make them able to provide high-quality services to the local population and educate future generations.”

About the General Authority for Health Services

The General Authority for Health Services (GAHS) is a local government body in Abu-Dhabi that was established in 2001 to achieve several goals:
• Establish health care standards in Abu-Dhabi Emirate
• Oversee hospitals and clinic operations
• Promote public awareness and health care issues in the community
• Evaluate and oversee future contracts awarded to hospital management companies
• Provide training to national staff
• Plan for future health care needs in Abu-Dhabi

The GAHS currently oversees the implementation of changes introduced, including supervising the operation of public hospitals in Abu-Dhabi, including:
Tawam Hospital in Al-Ain City
Shaikh Khalifa Medical Center
Corniche Hospital
Al-Rahba Hospital

About Johns Hopkins Medicine International

Leading a trend of rapid global changes in health, Johns Hopkins Medicine International works with international patients, physicians and institutions to bring the best of Johns Hopkins Medicine in research, education, training and clinical services to the world community. For more than a century, Johns Hopkins Medicine has built a reputation for excellence unsurpassed by any health care institution in the world.

The mission of the institution is to create an environment where the quest for new knowledge would continually yield more effective and compassionate care for all.  In 2005, US News & World Report ranked Johns Hopkins Hospital as America’s “Best Hospital” for the 15th consecutive year.