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Mubadala Healthcare officially opens Tawam Molecular Imaging Centre

Mubadala Healthcare officially opens Tawam Molecular Imaging Centre - a state-of-the-art facility for the detection and monitoring of cancer and heart disease The first facility in the region to combine PET.CT and 3T-MRI, delivering world-class medical care to the people of the United Arab Emirates.

Mubadala Healthcare officially opens Tawam Molecular Imaging Centre - a state-of-the-art facility for the detection and monitoring of cancer and heart disease The first facility in the region to combine PET.CT and 3T-MRI, delivering world-class medical care to the people of the United Arab Emirates.

Tawam Molecular Imaging Centre (TMIC) was officially opened today by Waleed Al Mokarrab Al Muhairi, the Chief Operating Officer of Mubadala Development Company (Mubadala), in a ceremony held at the Al Ain facility, which was attended by H.E. Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, CEO and Managing Director of Mubadala and H.E. Saif Bader Al Qubaisi, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA). Attendees also included dignitaries from Health Authority Abu Dhabi, SEHA and Daman, and distinguished clinicians and administrators from the adjacent Tawam Hospital.

TMIC is a specialist imaging centre featuring advanced diagnostic imaging systems that are essential in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer as well as cardiovascular and neurological diseases.

The Centre, wholly owned by Mubadala, is a key initiative within Mubadala Healthcare’s plan to develop robust private healthcare infrastructure in Abu Dhabi through partnerships with best-in-class international healthcare providers.

The state-of-the art facility was designed by Siemens Healthcare and began seeing patients in June 2010. It is clinically operated in partnership with Johns Hopkins Medicine International with all of the Centre’s clinical staff appointed and trained by Johns Hopkins.

Waleed Al Mokarrab Al Muhairi, Chief Operating Officer of Mubadala, said “The opening of Tawam Molecular Imaging Centre is a significant milestone in Mubadala Healthcare’s plan to stimulate the development of Abu Dhabi’s healthcare sector by setting the very highest standards in medical treatment and patient care. Our partnership with Siemens and Johns Hopkins has allowed us to develop a world-class diagnostic imaging centre that will considerably improve the detection, diagnosis and subsequent treatment of diseases in the region.”

TMIC’s key feature is a sophisticated Siemens PET.CT diagnostic system; a hybrid machine that combines Positron Emission Tomography with Computed Tomography. PET.CT has become the new international benchmark in the early detection and tracking of cancer, cardiovascular and neurological diseases as it enables physicians to view metabolic activity and the exact location of abnormal lesions within an integrated 3-dimensional image. It operates with a level of speed and accuracy that far exceeds conventional medical imaging, which consequently allows physicians to provide their patients with the most effective, timely and highly personalised treatment.

In addition to the PET.CT, the Centre is also uniquely equipped with a Siemens Cyclotron particle accelerator, which produces the radioisotope biomarkers that are required for PET examinations. As well as providing biomarkers for its own use, TMIC is also able to supply them to other hospitals in the region.

The Centre is already expanding its service offering even further with the installation of a Siemens 3T-MRI (3-Tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging) unit, becoming the first facility in the UAE to offer both PET.CT and MRI capabilities. With twice the field strength of conventional MRI units, 3T-MRIs produce considerably higher resolution scans in shorter timeframes, bringing current international best practice in the field of medical imaging to Al Ain and the region.

“We are delighted to be able to apply the experience and expertise of Johns Hopkins Medicine to the clinical operation of Tawam Molecular Imaging Centre” said Harris Benny, CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine International. “In addition to our management of Tawam Hospital, this project allows us to continue our commitment to deliver the very best standards of healthcare to the Middle East.”

Joachim Kundt, CEO of Siemens LLC extended his congratulations on the Centre’s opening and added: “This sophisticated medical centre is another important step in helping realise Abu Dhabi’s vision of establishing world-leading healthcare standards in the region. We are proud that Siemens has been selected to contribute to this project, especially because it helps demonstrate our strong portfolio of trendsetting innovations in healthcare. I am convinced that bringing together three world-class partners will prove to be a winning formula."

TMIC’s architecturally striking building is located adjacent Al Ain’s Tawam Hospital, which is regionally-renowned as a leading oncology centre, making it ideally placed to support the existing work and capabilities of the Hospital. It has the capacity to perform up to 16 scans per day.

NOTES TO THE EDITOR:

About Mubadala Development Company

Mubadala Development Company (Mubadala) is a catalyst for the economic diversification of Abu Dhabi. Established and owned by the Government of Abu Dhabi, the company’s strategy is built on the management of partnerships and long-term, capital-intensive investments that deliver strong financial returns and tangible social benefits for the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and contribute to the growth and diversification of its economy. Mubadala brings together and manages a multi-billion dollar portfolio of local, regional, and international investments and partners with leading global organizations to operate businesses across a wide range of industry sectors including aerospace, energy, healthcare, industry, information communications and technology, infrastructure, real estate and hospitality. For more information about Mubadala please visit http://www.mubadala.ae

About Tawam Molecular Imaging Centre

Tawam Molecular Imaging Centre is a world-class specialist molecular imaging facility, wholly owned by Mubadala Development Company. TMIC forms part of Mubadala Healthcare, a division of Mubadala Development Company and represents one of the key initiatives within their healthcare plans to establish world-class medical facilities in the UAE. In partnership with best-in-class international organizations Siemens and Johns Hopkins Medicine International, the TMIC delivers world-class standards in imaging diagnostics to the UAE and the region. The centre is located on the Al Ain based Tawam hospital campus, renowned for its reputation as a leading regional oncology centre. Supporting the existing capabilities of the hospital, the TMIC extends a continuum of quality healthcare to meet the growing healthcare needs of the UAE and surrounding GCC countries. http://www.tmic.ae

About Mubadala Healthcare

Mubadala Development Company (Mubadala) is a catalyst for the economic diversification of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The company’s commercial strategy is built on the management of long-term, capital-intensive, investments that deliver not only strong financial returns but tangible social benefits for the people of Abu Dhabi. In doing so Mubadala is expanding the economic base of the Emirate and in turn significantly contributing to the growth and diversification of the Abu Dhabi economy. As a business unit of Mubadala Development Company, Mubadala Healthcare is playing an instrumental role in the creation of a thriving healthcare sector for the Emirate. By establishing partnerships with renowned international medical institutions, it is actively investing to develop healthcare services that provide patients with world-class treatment in their home country. Mubadala Healthcare evaluates potential projects both on their likely commercial returns as well as on their socio-economic impact. It aims to establish sustainable businesses, build regional capability and stimulate the overall development of the sector. The first priority has been to address the region’s most pressing healthcare needs through the creation of specialist healthcare facilities. In collaboration with medical organizations such as Johns Hopkins Medicine International, Imperial College London and Cleveland Clinic, the goal is to create an integrated healthcare network, supported by state-of-the-art IT systems and medical technologies to provide excellent clinical outcomes and a seamless patient experience.

About Johns Hopkins Medicine International

ohns Hopkins Medicine International (JHI) facilitates the global development of the Johns Hopkins Medicine mission: to improve the health of the community and the world by setting the standard of excellence in medical education, research and clinical care. As the international access point to thousands of Johns Hopkins experts in medicine, nursing, public health and health care administration, JHI coordinates treatment for out-of-town patients who travel to Baltimore and for local patients with limited English proficiency. It also provides services in hospital management, health care consulting and clinical education through strategic alliances and affiliations in the Middle East, Latin America, North America, Europe and Asia.

About Siemens

Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global powerhouse in electronics and electrical engineering, operating in the industry, energy and healthcare sectors. For over 160 years, Siemens has stood for technological excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality. The company is the world’s largest provider of environmental technologies, generating €23 billion – nearly one-third of its total revenue – from green products and solutions. In fiscal 2009, which ended on September 30, 2009, revenue totaled €76.7 billion and net income €2.5 billion. At the end of September 2009, Siemens had around 405,000 employees worldwide. Further information is available on the Internet at: http://www.siemens.com

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