Mohammed opens Saudi-German Hospital

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, today morning inaugurated the Saudi-German Hospital in Dubai.

Also present were Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Aviation Authority and Chairman of Emirates Group and a number of officials.

After the ribbon-cutting, Sheikh Mohammed made an inspection tour of the hospital, which was completed at a total cost of Dh400 million.

Engineer Sobhi Batterjee, Chairman and CEO of Saudi German Hospitals Group, gave a presentation about the establishment of the hospital, saying the first hospital started operations in 1988 in Jeddah, thus bringing contemporary German healthcare standards to the door step of the local community. After establishing a strong reputation for its quality of care and scientific management, SGH expanded to other areas of Saudi Arabia and beyond.

He paid tribute to Sheikh Mohammed for giving instructions to Dubai authorities to facilitate construction of the 100,000 square metre state-of-the-art health facility in Dubai.

He said his Group had made the vision of Sheikh Mohammed for establishing Dubai as a meeting point between the west and east a ''reality on the ground'', therefore promoting the UAE reputation in international circles.

At the end of his tour of the hospital, Sheikh Mohammed affirmed that he is personally following up progress in the health and educational sectors.

He also welcomed local, Arab and foreign investors to the health sector as a key provider of healthcare to local and regional patients without taking the pain of travelling abroad for treatment.

Health tourism in the UAE, he said, is the focus of his attention and of his government as well as national relevant entities.

He referred to the diverse, ultra-modern infrastructure in the UAE which attracts investors to the medical sectors and other fields.

The opening ceremony was also attended by Mohammed Abdullah Al Gargawi, Minister for Cabinet Affairs, Abdul Rahman Mohammed Al Owais, acting Minister of Health, and a number of top health officials.

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