MENA region needs affordable healthcare, says Batterjee

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is in dire need of affordable primary and secondary facilities to help reduce the stress of costly healthcare services on low-income groups, Sobhi Batterjee, chairman of Saudi German Hospital Group (SGH), told Argaam on Wednesday.

If you give lower-income segments access to affordable healthcare from day one as soon as it’s needed, they won’t have to turn to more expensive procedures— like surgeries— in the long-run, Batterjee said, while speaking on the sidelines of a healthcare forum in Dubai.

Without giving details or providing a timeframe for his plans, Batterjee said eventually, he wants to introduce healthcare centers that will offer low-cost treatments in the region.

In September, Saudi-listed Middle East Healthcare Co. (MEAHCO), which owns SGH, said it has started phase one of construction on Egypt’s Batterjee Medical City in the second-largest city of Alexandria.

Slated for completion by the end of 2019, the first phase comprises a general hospital with 300 beds, and will be built at a total cost of EGP 1.5 billion (SAR 633.4 million). It will be financed from the company’s own resources, it was reported. 

Write to Nadeshda Zareen at nadeshda.zareen@argaamplus.com