Wael Kaawach, CEO, Healthcare Development Holding Company (HDH) • Interview

CEO, HEALTHCARE DEVELOPMENT HOLDING COMPANY (HDH)

What is the focus of HDH?

The vision of HDH coincides with Vision 2030 in enhancing and localizing the infrastructure of the healthcare industry. HDH’s business model was built to be a strategic holding and not an operational holding company. We supported the growth of individual subsidiary businesses to focus on are infrastructure services such as designing and engineering with a joint venture with RTKL, which is world famous in healthcare. We have a medical equipment and IT contracting subsidiary that is unique because it is the first comprehensive and integrated local biomedical engineering services company that has done many turnkey projects in Saudi Arabia and the region. We have our unique outpatient medical services management contracting where we do not own any assets and manage other companies’ site clinics and construction work clinics. This is a unique outpatient services set up and has gained the first JCI accreditation in KSA as a standalone polyclinic. Health Links, a HDH subsidiary, set up a joint venture with Press Ganey. We developed our own local adapted and validated surveys that are now being utilized by many government entities and private hospitals across the region. Another company we acquired in Riyadh does wholesale pharma with a focus on the niche orphan medication. We also acquired a company that does insurance brokerage and insurance claims to enhance the efficiency of insurance policies for clients. The latest company that we set up two years ago is WCG, which focuses on training, quality standards, and accreditation process of medical institutions.

How are you aligning yourself with the Ministry of Health’s objectives?

The transformation plan that has been put forward by the government is great. The ministry wants to become a regulator and not an operator, the private sector is still not sure about how the final setup will look like. Many investors and operators have concerns regarding the government’s plans. That said, the big vision is exciting, and we will always support it. We have adopted a wait-and-see approach. Our plan is to support Vision 2030 from the perspective of localization and privatization.