The genesis of the Saudi German Hospitals Group is intimately intertwined with the provision and evolution of organised medical services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The founding of the hospitals’ chain is traced to the family patriarch Abdel Jaleel Batterjee who operated a pharmaceutical company in the 1920s in the Red Sea commercial city of Jeddah.
This was the precursor to the establishment in 1988 of the Saudi German Hospitals Group, so named because the founder envisioned bringing contemporary and advanced German healthcare standards and medical care to local communities.
“The Saudi German Hospital Group is the pioneer in the dispensation of professional, and both systemic and systematic medical services in the Middle East,” explains Dr. Reem Osman, Group CEO of Saudi German Hospitals UAE, in an exclusive wide ranging interview. “Our legacy and longevity extends over three decades and we are renowned for our uncompromising and thorough medical care standards and adherence to rigid benchmarks. I believe we have earned the trust of our patients thanks to our passion and commitment to excellence in care-giving and medical proficiency,” she continues.
Graduated from Tishreen University of Medicine in Latakia, Syria as an ophthalmologist, Dr.Reem gained her Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Wollongong University in Sydney along with becoming a certificate holder of management healthcare delivery from Harvard Business School. Dr. Reem’s CEO responsibilities are a tough act to follow. Adept at balancing her medical and administration skills, she takes her professional mandate in her stride.
“This is about balance and reconciliation. I believe my medical experience provides me great insights on the intricacies and understanding of all aspects of good physical health while my administrative skills serve me well in the management of our health care-giving operations,” she asserts.
Source of inspiration
At the helm of the Saudi German Hospitals Group is the President and Founder, Engr. Sobhi Abdel Jaleel Batterjee, scion of this prominent and illustrious Saudi Arabian family and the driving force behind the Group’s robust and vigorous growth. A certified electrical engineer with twin degrees from Kansas University and Colorado University, both in the USA, Eng. Sobhi Batterjee has initiated his formula for success in his now signature theory—the ‘Six Points System’, well articulated in his autobiography, “A Road to Success”.
Engr. Sobhi attributes his characteristic magic formula to a key, self-propounded six-point tried and tested equation. These include ideas and appropriately declared goals; clearly written and properly articulated plan; prayers, worship and ‘Doaa’ (blessings); the obligatory reading of the Holy Quran; taking concrete steps towards realisation of the goals and finally leading a pious and divinely-approved lifestyle. He firmly believes that his primary goal in life as well as the principal objective of SGHG is to help alleviate the suffering of the sick and infirm through dedicated medical care. Saudi German Hospitals Group is the manifestation of his vision.
Newest addition
The inauguration of Saudi German Hospitals Sharjah in the Emirate’s, Al Qulayaa district commemorates the 9th operational facility of the Group whose current network comprises hospitals in Jeddah, Riyadh, Asir, Madinah and Ha’il in Saudi Arabia; Cairo (Egypt); Sanaa (Yemen) and the flagship 300-bed hospital with multiple accreditations built on an allocated 90,000sqm. plot of land in Dubai’s Al Barsha III precinct.
Dr. Reem, featured in the ‘Forbes Middle East’s 200 Most Powerful Arab Women,’ also confirmed that coming up in tandem within the existing ‘Batterjee Medical City’ complex in Dubai, as she characterises this location, is a Centre of Excellence, a Medical College and another parallel medical centre. Upcoming and under-construction Saudi German hospitals meeting the highest benchmark quality professional standards are also expected to go functional in Ajman and in Ras Al Khaimah in 2019.
Dr. Reem also points out that she is very supportive and encourages and motivates her colleagues and partners to maintain standards of excellence and optimum output. “We are not a commercial business in the conventional sense but we are primarily and first and foremost in the life saving, care giving, healing and recuperation business. For us success is determined on the basis of our ability to provide the remedial or curative touch. A life saved or a life restored is an institutional accomplishment,” she assures.
Medical tourism gathers momentum
Dr. Reem, a recipient of numerous awards including the ‘International Medical Tourism Executive of the world’ in London in December 2017 and also as a top influencer among her peers, also believes that the UAE is well primed as a medical tourism hub.
“The UAE medical community is well positioned to offer the finest, world-class medical expertise and experience. This is backed by superb amenities and equipment by globally recognised service providers and corporate institutions such as Saudi General Hospitals that attract international patients to provide comprehensive diagnostic, preventative, therapeutic and recuperative care. Complementing these offerings is also a tried and tested regimen of appropriate oversight from regulatory and monitoring regulator authorities to ensure adherence to benchmarks,” she affirms.
A multitude of new entrants in the medicare business is providing tough competition to the established players but Dr. Reem is taking it all in her stride. She is not unduly perturbed by an influx of healthcare service providers and welcomes their entry. “The bar has been raised and the threshold is high. Only those who can meet the demanding criteria and controls will survive and thrive in this intensely competitive business. However there is place for all and everyone will eventually find their niche and areas of interest and specialization,” she observes.
Comprehensive service offerings
Saudi German Hospitals offer a vast array of medical services including anaesthesia, cardiology, orthopedic, oncology, breast surgery, dentistry, dermatology, diabetes, dialysis, emergency medicine, ENT, general surgery, obstetrics & gynaecology, ophthalmology, paediatrics, psychiatry, rheumatology, urology among others. It offers patients tertiary care—highly specialised medical care usually over an extended period of time that involves advanced and complex procedures and treatments performed by medical specialists in advanced facilities.
SGH Dubai holds distinction for orthopedics and sports surgeries, ophthalmology, cosmetology, pediatrics, general surgery, critical care medicine, ENT, neuroscience and in most of the other areas of medicine. SGH Dubai holds the privilege of having the biggest ‘Stroke’ unit in MENA region with 12 beds and as well as biggest ICU facility in UAE in the private sector with 43 beds. Additionally it has the biggest PICU (Pediatric ICU) facility with 13 beds.
Some of the specialized centers that SGH Dubai holds a competitive advantage in the market are its laparoscopic centre, cardiac surgery centre, oncology centre, rehabilitation centre, and the dialysis unit. On top of all, SGH Dubai serves the community with a full scale of 24/7 emergency services along with air ambulance facilities. SGH Dubai is the only private hospital having the capacity to receive patient in its emergency department by airlifting.
Corporate Social Responsibility is also an important tenet of SGH. “We organise health camps periodically across different areas of Dubai and now in Sharjah for general and specific health check-up and blood donation as part of our efforts to improve health awareness and standards,” notes Dr. Reem who was nominated ‘Peace Ambassador’ by the United Nations International Organisation for Development and Human Rights.
SGH has also collaborated with the Zayed Giving Initiative by supporting medical residency personal humanitarian services and free in-patient and surgical services in Egypt, Sudan and Zanzibar. Doctors from SGH also volunteered their time and professional services for the unfortunate Rohingya refugees in Cox Bazaar in Bangladesh. “These efforts reinforce our commitment to serving communities and use our skills for improving people’s lives,” she states.
Under Dr. Reem’s stewardship, the future of Saudi German Hospitals Group looks robust and healthy indeed!
