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UAE health care group takes over London hospital

Abu Dhabi - Facility to specialise in advanced cancer treatment.

VPS Healthcare is investing Dh859 million (£150 million) in a UK hospital that will specialise in advanced cancer treatment. The hospital is set to open in 2017.
Located in West London, VPS will operate and manage the historic Ravenscourt Park Hospital, which was closed down in 2006 while under the National Health Service (NHS). The 150-bed hospital was earlier home to the Royal Masonic Hospital, built and opened in 1933.
Speaking to Khaleej Times from London on Tuesday, Dr Shamsheer Vayalil, founder and managing director of VPS Healthcare, said this is the group's first hospital venture in Europe.
"We just took over the site. Work will begin now on the renovation and rehabilitation of the old hospital," he said noting that the building's English heritage will be preserved. The hospital will also retain its name, Ravenscourt Park Hospital. "London is the headquarters of lots of research and good manpower; it has a good history in health care and access to high quality medical staff. Here is where it's all happening. It is a great opportunity for the private sector,"
Dr Vayalil pointed out, adding that Abu Dhabi will benefit from the expertise that will be brought here as a result of this investment. When it opens in the first half of 2017, Ravenscourt will be the first private facility in the UK to offer proton beam therapy - a type of radiotherapy that uses sub-atomic particles to attack cancer cells resulting in less damage to surrounding tissues than conventional radiotherapy.
olivia@khaleejtimes.com