International business director of Kent Hospital visited Nigeria this week to intimate discussions for potential partnerships. Kent Hospital is owned majorly by leading buyout investor Mid Europa.
It is a world renowned JCI accredited hospital in the area of transplantation and cardiovascular surgery.
Mid Europa is focused on the growth markets of Central, Eastern Europe and Turkey with approximately €4 billion in funds. Kent Hospıtal has become the leading general purpose hospital and medical clinic in Izmir, Turkey.
Established in 2004, Kent Hospital is one of the leading and most modern hospitals in south-eastern Europe. Kent Hospital is a full service, 22,000 square-meter, 162 bed capacity medical complex, offering state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment services.
They are accredited by Joint Commission International and has particular strengths in high acuity treatments, including organ transplants, cardio-vascular surgery and cardiology.
Thıs week, Hakan Tarakcıoglu, a medical practitioner and the international business director of Kent hospital Izmır, visited Lagos to begin discussions with the leadership of some leading public and private hospitals.
The discussions are focused on establishing a framework for collaboration in the area of medical education of staff as well as second opinion through telemedicine technology.
“Our hospital sees the opportunity to extend our expertise in the area of Cardiovascular surgery and transplantation to government and private hospitals as a form of corporation with hospitals in Nigeria.’ said Rusen Yıldırı, a medical practitioner and the CEO of Kent Hospital in a recent statement to BusinessDay.
“We know a lot of hospitals and physicians in the market are looking for opportunities to train and develop their practice using modern technology and management practices and so we want to offer this to the health sector in Nigeria using our knowledge, technology and talent,” he said.
“Nigeria is the strategic entry market for us in our overall plan for the continent, which is why we have already started the conversation to have clinical affiliation partnerships with one leading private hospital in Nigeria and also, I am meeting with some government leaders especially in Lagos State and the rest of Nigeria. We will however consider every opportunity very carefully” Tarackcıoglu told BusinessDay in an exclusive interview.
Already, a partnership has been signed with a local healthcare provider a source close to deal has mentioned. This will see the establishment of a telemedicine office during this year which will allow for teleconsultatıon and medical second opinion between Nigerian specialists and specialists at Kent hospital.
This follows the recent partnership agreement with Turkish Airlines and Kent hospital which will see Nigerian patents receiving special discounts and incentives for patients and their companions who travel to Turkey for medical treatment purposes.
Announcing the partnership in Lagos, Hakan stated that ‘our partnership with Turkish Airlines also gives our patient up to a 25% discount on flights and privileges including excess baggage of up to 10kg, no rebooking penalty and these applies to two accompanying passengers travelling with the patients to Kent Hospital departing from Nigeria.”
As regards visa application, he adds: “As of April 17, 2013, Turkey began issuing an electronic visa (e-Visa) to Nigerians to replace the “sticker visa” which was issued at the border crossings. The e-Visa application is possible from any place with internet connection.
The whole process takes no more than 10 minutes. However, this visa is only available to Nigerians who have a valid visa from the US, UK or Shengen countries. Those without either of the mentioned visas will have to apply for a Turkish visa,” he concludes.
Kent Hospital is number one in Europe for liver transplantation and for paediatric liver transplantation. They have various centres that include: Bone marrow transplant centre, liver transplant centre, kidney transplant centre, oncology centre, check-up centre, diet and nutrition centre, In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) centre, oral and dental health centre and sleep disorders centre.
Turkey has become a medical tourism hub in the world. It has a world renowned private healthcare delivery system with the most JCI accredited hospitals outside of America.
Kemi Ajumobi
