Abu Dhabi-based NMC Health, a leading integrated private healthcare provider, has announced that it has completed its acquisition of ProVita International Medical Center, a major provider of long-term medical care in the UAE.

Dr B R Shetty, executive vice-chairman and chief executive officer of NMC Health, said: "I am pleased to announce the closing of NMC’s acquisition of ProVita. As one of the largest providers in the long-term care market, ProVita meets the under-serviced demand for long-term care facilities in the UAE, which is expected to see substantial growth.”

“The acquisition complements our strategy of being an integrated healthcare provider with centres of excellence across healthcare specialities and along the care pathway and fills the gap between short-term care offered by NMC’s existing facilities and homecare service provided by the recently acquired Americare Group. The acquisition also supports our strategic expansion in Saudi Arabia and Qatar as ProVita progresses towards entering these markets,” he added.

Based in the UAE and established in 2011, ProVita is the first of its kind and one of only two pure play providers of long-term medical care in the UAE. Established in Germany in 1995 by Christina Shawky-Boehme, ProVita focuses on chronic ventilator-dependent patients, who require regular medical, nursing and rehabilitative treatments in a non-hospital environment.

The acquisition extends NMC’s service offering along the care pathway, adding to its existing portfolio of short-term, home care and ancillary services. It fills a gap between the short-term care currently offered by NMC’s existing facilities and the in-home services offered by Americare, which was acquired in April and closed in June.

By providing specialised long-term care, the acquisition also frees up NMC’s ICU beds, which are currently occupied by long-term acute and sub-acute care patients. In addition, the acquisition extends NMC’s access to Thiqa patients - those under Abu Dhabi’s health care scheme for UAE nationals - further diversifying NMC’s patient population, a statement said.

The acquisition also supports NMC’s expansion in the GCC region. ProVita has identified Qatar and Saudi Arabia as priority markets due to the increasing healthcare expenditure in both countries, high prevalence of chronic and lifestyle diseases, aging population, lack of dedicated long-term care facilities and a substantial number of patients seeking treatment abroad.

ProVita’s management team is expected to remain at the company, according to the statement. - TradeArabia News Service