One of the GCC’s largest holding companies has transferred ownership of its healthcare support service entities to Pure Health, it has been announced.

Abu Dhabi’s ADQ – an asset owner and investor, with direct and indirect investments in more than 90 companies around the world – has agreed to merge both Rafed and Union71 within Pure Health. Based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Pure Health is an integrated healthcare solutions provider with a diversified services portfolio of hospital management, laboratory services and medical supplies. 

It is hoped that the merger of Rafed and Union71 within Pure Health will “create a robust and synergetic healthcare organisation, thereby elevating the UAE’s global position as a leader in healthcare,” ADQ stated.

Under the new agreement, ADQ “will receive a stake in the new end-to-end healthcare services leader providing hospital management, medical screening, lab testing and healthcare procurement,” it continued in its statement. “The company will be well positioned to serve hospitals, integrated healthcare systems, healthcare suppliers, the federal government, and others across the spectrum of care throughout the UAE,” the company concluded.

“By merging Rafed and Union71 within Pure Health, we continue advancing ADQ’s strategy to grow a provision-centred healthcare and pharma cluster that delivers clinical excellence, optimal healthcare system spend and effective population health management in the UAE,” said ADQ CEO, Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi. “This transaction provides a unique opportunity to create a platform for healthcare support services with greater scale and further synergies in delivering reliable and innovative medical screening and lab testing, medical equipment distribution and group purchasing organisation services.” 

He continued: “As Rafed and Union71 prepare to grow beyond servicing Abu Dhabi Health Services Company [SEHA], their merger within Pure Health will allow for higher volume throughput across a broader repertoire of tests and value-driven, centralised healthcare procurement services that will service the needs of healthcare providers in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the Northern Emirates.”

THE LARGER CONTEXT

As the largest laboratory operator in the GCC region, Pure Health manages a network of hospitals, medical visa screening services and 120 laboratories in the UAE alone. The company – which is growing towards becoming “a healthcare support services leader” – is currently expanding its services to include radiology, dialysis, and revenue cycle management services. 

Rafed is a healthcare procurement system that covers supplier sourcing and contract management, procurement ordering services, warehousing, and distribution. According to ADQ, it was first formed in order to “ensure the availability and quality of essential goods and services to Abu Dhabi’s healthcare sector, which include pharmaceuticals, equipment, diagnostics and consumables.”

Union71, meanwhile, specialises in “supporting clinical workflow through timely, accurate and quality data,” thanks to “lab testing capabilities, sub-specialty consultant pathologists, experienced technologists and equipment that is not readily available in other labs in the region.”

ON THE RECORD

“Pure Health has become one of the largest healthcare contributors in the UAE, demonstrated through our commitment to excellence and enhancing the quality of care and patient experience in the UAE,” said Pure Health CEO, Farhan Malik. “As an established lab operator, and now a trusted healthcare partner in hospital management, we are pleased and excited to be broadening our services portfolio under the new merger with Rafed and Union71. We are confident that ADQ’s large healthcare and pharmaceutical portfolio and access to the Abu Dhabi healthcare market will grow our operations and reach across the UAE healthcare ecosystem.

He added: “People are at the heart of what we do, and at Pure Health we are on a journey to make healthcare efficient by making people live healthier through population health management, where Pure Health will play a key role in preventive health care through early diagnostics, personalised medicine, empowered by healthcare informatics and digital intelligence.”