Ground breaking e-Health agreement signed by top Saudi and US hospitals at Arab Health

A cornerstone of the partnership will be the US hospital's E-Cleveland Clinic, a web-based facility that provides specialist consultations and second opinions, using the Internet, for patients with life-threatening and life-altering diagnoses.

"Both institutions are world leaders in e-Health applications. The Internet has opened the door to new ways for healthcare providers to work together. This agreement will enable our doctors to deliver better health care in the long term," said Dr Sultan Bahabri, Chief Officer, KFSH&RC.

The memorandum of understanding, signed by Dr Bahabri and Dr Conrad C Simpfendorfer, Chairman, International Centre, Cleveland Clinic, also covers collaboration on education, research and patient care.

Located in Riyadh, the KFSH&RC is a 650-bed tertiary hospital that carries out over 9,200 operations annually, including more than 1,400 open heart surgeries.

One of 19 Saudi Arabian exhibitors at Arab Health 2003, which also features the Kingdom's first national pavilion, the KFSH&RC has the largest cancer facility in the Gulf, where over 2,800 patients are treated each year. It is also home to the
GCC Cancer Registry.

The Cleveland Clinic was founded in 1921. With more than 1,100 physicians, it is the second largest group practice in the world. The clinic's main campus includes a 959-bed hospital. Since 1995 it has been independently judged the top US centre for heart disease treatment.

Arab Health 2003, that saw record first day visitor numbers yesterday (January 27) at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre (DIEC), features 940 exhibitors from 50 countries. Of the 19 national pavilions at the show, Germany with 195 exhibitors is the largest. Other countries with substantial official delegations include the UK; Italy; USA; China and France. The exhibition also has over 100 UAE-based companies participating.

Arab Health 2003 is officially supported by the UAE Ministry of Health and is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, UAE Minister for Finance and Industry and President, Department of Health and Medical Services, Government of Dubai.

The show is open until 6pm today, 10am to 6pm tomorrow and from 10am until 5pm on Wednesday.