Healthcare providers from Americas target GCC tie-ups

Unsplash/Ahmed

• Rise of complex medical needs
• US and Brazilian clinics involved
• Diabetes and obesity among drivers

With the rise of chronic diseases and other complex medical needs, co-operation is growing between medical institutions in Gulf states and their counterparts in the US and beyond.

Mass General Brigham Hospitals Network and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, both based in Boston, Massachusetts, and the Mayo Clinic of Rochester, Minnesota, are among the household names in US healthcare launching ventures in the six Gulf Cooperation Council states.

But smaller medical start-ups from places such as California and specialist programmes from Brazil are also linking up with partners in the Gulf, as the region seeks innovation and scale in healthcare.

Mohamad Bydon, Mayo Clinic’s executive medical director of academic affairs and Europe, Middle East, India and Africa, says the spread across the Gulf of diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and obesity is one of the main drivers of the new ventures.

“These conditions require advanced care models and highly specialised expertise, which Mayo Clinic can share to improve patient outcomes and strengthen local healthcare capabilities,” he tells AGBI. 

“Establishing centres of excellence in Gulf nations reduces the need for patients to travel abroad, ensuring that they receive timely, culturally relevant care closer to home.”

In December 2024 the Mayo Clinic – named by Newsweek magazine as the world’s best hospital – accepted the King Hamad American Mission Hospital in Bahrain as the 15th international member of its global network of selected healthcare centres. 

These institutions, which include the American Hospital Dubai, the International Medical Centre, Jeddah and the Saudi German Hospital, Riyadh, as well as others in India, Indonesia, Turkey, Egypt, Mexico and elsewhere, enjoy direct access to Mayo’s clinical tools and expertise.

In August, Mayo signed an agreement with Gulf Medical Technologies (GMT) in Kuwait to advance the development of a device engineered by GMT that aims to improve the clarity and visibility of surgical cameras’ lenses.

Knowledge exchange

Bydon says education and knowledge exchange through joint research and the sharing of best practices are important focuses of Mayo Clinic’s involvement in the GCC. 

“Mayo Clinic is also deeply engaged in advancing precision medicine and diagnostics in partnership with Gulf institutions,” Bydon says. “By integrating genomic research and leveraging AI-driven technologies, we can co-develop personalised care solutions tailored to the specific needs of Gulf populations.”

Virtual consultations, remote diagnostics and digital pathology, as well as the more traditional field of oncology, are other areas ripe for co-operation, Bydon says.

Oncoclínicas&Co – founded in Belo Horizonte, Brazil in 2010 and now one of the largest oncology, hematology and radiotherapy groups in Latin America – entered into a partnership with Al Faisaliah Group of Saudi Arabia at the end of August to establish a cutting-edge outpatient treatment centre for cancer in Riyadh, and eventually build a network of similar clinics around the country.

Mohammed K.A. Al Faisal, president of Al Faisaliah Group, a Saudi conglomerate with interests ranging from restaurants to consumer electronics, said upon announcing the tie-up: “Our aim is to become the top private cancer treatment centre for a region of over 300 million people.”

In Sharjah, the Jawaher Boston Medical District, currently under construction, is a partnership between BEEAH – a Sharjah-based holding company with interests in areas such as education, waste recycling and energy as well as healthcare – and the two Boston institutions Mass General Brigham Hospitals Network and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The latter is one of the world’s leading organisations for the treatment of adult and pediatric cancer. 

The project, which aims to encompass hospitals, laboratories, R&D centres and other facilities across the emirate, received the go-ahead in May 2023. Its board of directors held their first formal meeting last month.

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Raymond W. Liu, vice-president of Mass General Brigham Global Advisory at the time, said: “This partnership is dedicated to developing a future-ready healthcare system that offers personalised, tech-enabled care, ranging from preventive and chronic disease management to specialised services currently less accessible in the region.”

Khaled Al Huraimel, group CEO and vice chairman at BEEAH, says his company spent “years” researching the right partners for the project.

“We explored hospitals and world-renowned healthcare providers globally, focussing on their capabilities to address the gaps in locally available healthcare for all women, men, children and the elderly,” he says.

“Together with our Boston partners, we aim to make the Jawaher Boston Medical District a destination for the people of the UAE to access world-class medical care closer to home and set regional benchmarks for healthcare excellence.

“At the same time, the district will create opportunities for medical research and education, contributing to national talent development and the UAE’s economic diversification.”

As big names on both sides come together in eye-catching partnerships, smaller companies are also pursuing cooperation in specialised, boutique care.

Dubai’s GluCare Integrated Diabetes Centre, which has received international attention for its approach to mixing face-to-face treatment and advanced remote monitoring, announced last month that it had engaged the San Francisco biotech firm Pendulum Therapeutics to jointly conduct a six-month clinical study.

The research will assess the impact of probiotics made by Pendulum on glycemic control, weight management, food cravings and patients’ wider metabolic health. 

Ihsan Al Marzooqi, co-founder of GluCare Health, says that co-operation between American and Gulf medical institutions is rapidly growing, as both are grappling with rising rates of diabetes and obesity in their regions and as GCC states invest heavily in healthcare.  

“GCC institutions, like ours, are agile and can rapidly integrate cutting-edge innovations into care delivery,” Al Marzooqi says. “US counterparts bring advanced research capabilities, novel therapies, and biotech expertise.”