Dubai Healthcare City to have a new 150 bed hospital

This will be the group's second hospital within the DHCC and will be positioned as a key general healthcare provider in the market.

Welcare World has previously entered into an agreement with DHCC for developing "The City Hospital", a premium 210-bed hospital that will be positioned as a Center of Excellence in Cardiology and Orthopaedics. The hospital is currently under design by a leading US hospital designer firm; Ellerbe Becket; and is scheduled to commence operation by mid 2007. Inline with DHCC 's vision, Welcare World has acquired the international affiliation of George Washington University Hospital (GWUH), thus ensuring the hospital's commitment to high quality standards of care throughout its planning and operational stages.

"It is our intention to extend the reputation of Welcare Hospital to Dubai Healthcare City" said Mr. Sunny Varkey, Group Chairman-Varkey Group. "Welcare has long been known for offering high quality, ethical medicine and for having some of the most qualified doctors in the UAE. We intend to continue that tradition of excellence through our new facilities" he added.

Due to great demand for extra space requirements at the Welcare Hospital, Cansult Limited has also been assigned to study the feasibility of adding an extra floor to the existing hospital building.

"We are determined to create a new paradigm in healthcare planning with advanced technology in collaboration with top-notch institutions in healthcare", said, Mr. C. N. Radhakrishnan, Executive Director, Varkey Group. He further added, "Creating strategic international partnerships in the delivery of quality healthcare is indeed the way to go".

Cansult Limited is one of Canada's leading engineering and project management firms working in the international market since 1961. Cansult Limited believes in delivering the best Canadian engineering to international clients and their focus is on client service for international projects.

Cansult Limited's in-house strength of 200 staff in the UAE is combined with the specialised health care expertise of Murphy Hilgers Architects Inc. of Canada. Cansult Limited and Murphy Hilgers have worked together on previous health care facilities in the UAE. Above all, Cansult Limited brings the advantage of having been the master plan consultants to DHCC on Phase I of its development.

Drawing a parallel from its successful education activities, Varkey Group launched Welcare World Health Systems (Welcare World) in 2003 with the objective of combining the strength of strategic alliances with its in-house knowledge and experience to provide international quality healthcare services and management strategies in the UAE and in the Middle East along with North Africa and the Asian regions.

Welcare World's strategic goal in the UAE is to establish an integrated network of healthcare providers at various levels of care that provide services inline with efficiency and cost effectiveness. Through the establishment of satellite clinics, together with the previously mentioned hospitals, Welcare World intends to manage approximately 500 acute care beds in the next three (3) years.