NEWS
RELEASE
MMI Announces Agreement to Enhance Cardiovascular Care Capacity in Kuwait
Montreal, August 12, 2010—MMI Montreal Medical International Inc. (MMI) is pleased to announce an agreement concluded recently between the Kuwait Ministry of Health (MOH), the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and McGill University to improve Kuwait's capacity to deliver world-class cardiovascular care to its population. An International Redevelopment Team led by the MUHC will develop new clinical and quality-improvement programs.
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"As one of the world's foremost academic health centres, the MUHC is fortunate to have an exceptional cardiovascular care team," states the Hon. Arthur T. Porter, Director General and CEO. "We firmly believe that knowledge transfer at every level is essential. We were honoured when Dr. Hilal Al Sayer requested a formal proposal and we are now excited to begin working with our Kuwaiti counterparts."
"We are delighted to extend McGill's leading expertise in cardiovascular education to Kuwait," says Dr. Richard I. Levin, Vice-Principal of Health Affairs and Dean of Medicine at McGill. "International collaborations between academic health centres are essential in advancing our collective knowledge of ubiquitous conditions like heart disease, and in training the next generation of healthcare leaders to continue pushing the boundaries, to improve prevention and to discover cures."
Under the agreement, MMI will work with the Kuwait MOH, MUHC and McGill on clinical and teaching programs and building capacity at the Chest Diseases Hospital (CDH) and to a lesser extent the Dabbous Cardiac Centre at Al Adan Hospital. Dr. Kamran Lari, Vice-President, Business Development, MMI GCC & Asia, and Administrative Project Leader, will also lead a team of engineers to assist with the acquisition and installation of modern information systems and to set up a sophisticated telehealth system for ongoing connectivity between the MUHC and the CDH.
"New complex surgical interventions, such as those that involve ventricular-assist devices or the Impella 5.0 minimally-invasive cardiac support system Impella, are examples of the leading-edge procedures that Kuwaitis will learn to perform thanks to our leadership," adds Dr. Renzo Cecere, Vice-President, Clinical Operations, MMI GCC & Asia, and Director of the MUHC's Heart Failure Organ Transplant Program. "Others include complex valve surgery and surgery for congenital abnormalities."
Due to a high incidence of consanguinity in Kuwait, congenital heart disease is also highly prevalent. Quebec experts will have the means to be leaders in population-based genetics and screening for congenital heart disease, and in the management of congenital heart disease throughout the lifespan. This new knowledge will have direct benefits to the population of Quebec.
"The project is a model way for academic health centres and leading faculties of medicine to share their knowledge and technical expertise with nations around the globe while also learning," concludes Dr. Michael Churchill-Smith, Chair of the Board of Directors and CEO, MMI, and President of MUHC International. "It's a win-win means to enhance health care."
In 2008, the Kuwait Ministry of Health expressed an interest in having MUHC experts conduct an external review of its CDH. Dr. Renzo Cecere accepted to lead a team of MUHC-McGill experts in cardiothoracic surgery, cardiovascular anaesthesia and nursing, as well as clinical perfusion. The team conducted informal exchanges with their Kuwaiti counterparts, analysing existing resources and infrastructure as well as strengths and weaknesses. In January 2010, Kuwait's Minister of Health, Dr. Hilal Al Sayer requested a formal proposal. A five-year agreement was concluded recently.
Montreal Medical International Inc. (MMI) is a Canadian-incorporated company that carries out activities around the world. Its sole shareholder is Optimal Health Care Foundation, a Canadian-registered charity dedicated to supporting research and public healthcare institutions in Quebec through scholarships and financial support to physicians, physicians in training, nurses or other healthcare professionals, as well as research; accordingly, all of MMI's excess revenues are devoted to these purposes.
McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) One of the world's foremost academic health centres, the MUHC offers exceptional and integrated patient-centric care, research and teaching. Highly committed to the continuum of care in its community and affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine of McGill University, The Montreal Children's Hospital, the Montreal General Hospital, the Royal Victoria Hospital, the Montreal Neurological Hospital, the Montreal Chest Institute and the Lachine Hospital of the MUHC value multidisciplinary service throughout the lifespan, innovative technologies and practices, strategic partnerships and leadership in knowledge transfer. The MUHC is currently carrying out a $2.25-billion Redevelopment Project on three campuses—the Mountain, the Glen and Lachine—designed to provide healthcare professionals with an effective environment in which to ensure patients and their families benefit from The Best Care for Life. The campuses are also anchored in best sustainable-development practices, including LEED® and BOMA BESt guidelines. www.muhc.ca www.muhc.ca/construction
McGill University, founded in Montreal, Que., in 1821, is Canada's leading post-secondary institution. It has two campuses, 11 faculties, 10 professional schools, 300 programs of study and more than 35,000 students from more than 150 countries around the world. Almost half of McGill students claim a first language other than English – including 6,000 francophones – with more than 6,800 international students making up almost 20 per cent of the student body. www.mcgill.ca
For more information, contact:
Dr. Kamran Lari
Vice President, Business Development, MMI GCC & Asia
kamran.lari@mmikuwait.com