Heart and lung centre of excellence to open in Dubai
Canadian Speciality Hosptial in Dubai to be regional hub for centre of excellence
This report was first published in gulfnews.com and has been posted here without any alterations or editing. To read the original report, CLICK HERE
Dubai: Dubai will soon have the first of its kind heart and lung Centre of Excellence, with cutting-edge technology in the private sector where patients will have the possibility of affordable heart and lung transplants.
Phased expansion
Meitra Care Network (MCN) from India, which is an initiative by the UAE-based conglomerate, KEF Healthcare, announced its partnership with Canadian Specialist Hospital (CSH) to launch this centre. The Centre for Excellence will follow a phased augmentation.
Dr KR Balakrishnan, world-renowned expert cardiothoracic surgeon who runs Asia’s most prolific heart and lung transplant programmes in India, will play a key role in this partnership. Dr Balakrishnan is an acknowledged expert in cardiothoracic surgery who has mastered evidence-based approach to health care practices.
Robotics and spinal surgery to be introduced in Phase 2
The centre will have a full spectrum of services, which will be launched in a phased manner. In the first phase, the centre will offer advanced interventional cardiology procedures and electro physiology department. A full-time team from Meitra will also be located at the CSH. In the second phase, the Centre will have a full-fledged cardiac sciences department that will offer all heart-related surgical procedures.
In the second phase, the project will expand to include centres of excellence in Orthopaedics and Robotics surgery. This will also include Advanced Neuroscience department, which will also have a facility for Spine surgeries.
Mechanical heart transplants a definite possibility
Dr Balakrishnan told Gulf News, “We intend to have heart transplants in the subsequent phases, but will begin with artificial and mechanical heart transplants first, to bring relief to patients with congenital heart disease in UAE and the region.”
In order to be a regional hub, the centre of excellence will deploy advanced digital technology will facilitate diversified medical interventions across tele-consultation, telemedicine to diagnosis, critical care to surgical support and advisory.
Cutting edge technology at affordable costs
Commenting on this project, Mohammad Rashid Al Falasi, Chairman of CSH said, “This is a groundbreaking collaboration, and with MCN, the pioneering disruptive medical and health care ecosystem, we will be able to enhance patient-centric care connecting with multiple specialist health care experts and entities from around the world. We will be offering the full spectrum of heart and vascular care services to patients that will complement Dubai’s reputation as a regional health care and medical tourism hub.
He added. “CSH is a reputable acute-cum-critical care hospital catering to the tertiary health care needs of the UAE and the region. Our goal with this collaboration is to create an ever-expanding health care ecosystem, bringing patients and doctors, as well as primary, secondary, tertiary and critical care service providers, under one integrated system. This will reduce downtime and wastage of resources, and result in better utilisation of doctors, laboratories, operation theatres, and health care facilities — to offer the best health care services at an affordable price.”
The collaboration will address a critical gap in health care delivery.
Faizal Kottikollon, the founder and chairman of KEF holdings and the Calicut-based Meitra hospital and MCN said, “We believe MCN has the potential to address the critical gap in collaborative health care supported by technology, and our debut in Dubai with CSH is a milestone in bringing quality global health care to patients in Dubai and the UAE.”
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Aditya Birla Group-led consortium acquires RCB for USD 1.78 billion
Bengaluru (PTI): A consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group (ABG) on Tuesday acquired 100 percent equity stake in IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru for a whopping USD 1.78 billion (approximately Rs 16,706 crore) from its current owner the United Spirits Limited.
Other parties involved in the group are -- Blackstone’s perpetual private equity strategy, BXPE, a firm of which Viral Patel is the CEO, Bolt Ventures, owned by American investor David Blitzer, and media conglomerate Times of India.
“United Spirits Limited, pursuant to the meeting of its Board of Directors, today announced that it has entered into definitive agreements for the sale of the 100 percent equity stake held in its wholly owned subsidiary Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited (RCSPL) to a consortium,” the USL said in a statement.
“The consortium comprises Aditya Birla Group (ABG), The Times of India Group (Times), Bolt Ventures (Bolt), and Blackstone’s perpetual private equity strategy, BXPE (Blackstone) for a total consideration of INR 166.6 bn in an all cash transaction,” the statement added.
The transaction includes RCB's men’s and women’s (WPL) teams.
“RCSPL owns and operates Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchises that participate in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Women’s Premier League (WPL).
“Upon completion of this transaction, the consortium will, through its ownership of RCSPL, acquire the rights to own and operate the IPL and WPL franchise,” said the USL.
The announcement also concluded the strategic review of RCSPL that was initiated by USL on November 5, 2025.
The United Spirits Limited is a subsidiary of UK-Diageo, and they were keen to move away from RCB as the team was not central to their business plans.
Commenting on the transaction, Praveen Someshwar, MD & CEO, USL, said: “This transaction marks an important milestone for USL as we sharpen focus on our core beverage alcohol business to unlock its true potential. RCB has grown into the most prominent and commercially successful franchise in the IPL and WPL.
“We are excited for the future of RCB under the stewardship of the new owner. As Sports enters a new phase of growth in India & globally, we believe this is in the best interest of the franchise and our stakeholders.”
Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group, said, “Over the past 2 decades, the IPL has morphed to become a global sporting powerhouse that has changed the face of Indian cricket creating enormous value for India.
“RCB, as one of the most compelling franchises in modern sport, offers the Aditya Birla Group a distinctive platform to extend its legacy of institution-building into the arena of global sport.”
As per the sale agreement, Aryaman Vikram Birla, ABG’s director, will be the chairman of RCB while Satyan Gajwani of Times of India will be his deputy.
Aryaman Birla, said: “It is a privilege to come together in this partnership to shape the next phase of growth for RCB. This partnership brings together a deep understanding of sports, media and consumer businesses.
“Together, we will continue to Play Bold -- on the pitch, in the community, and for the fans who make RCB what it is.”
Gajwani, Chairman, Times Internet Limited, said: “RCB is the reigning champion and the most popular brand in the IPL. We will build RCB into a global sporting institution, while remaining rooted in Bengaluru and Karnataka and its incredible fanbase.”
Blitzer hoped to build on RCB’s recent success.
“RCB has a world-class fanbase, and the IPL is one of the great growth stories in global sport. Having invested in clubs and leagues around the world, I believe the opportunity at RCB stands out.
We look forward to working alongside our partners and the BCCI to build on the franchise’s championship success,” he said.
Patel praised the RCB as one of the strongest sporting brands in the world.
“We are excited to invest in RCB, building on Blackstone’s long-standing commitment to India. RCB stands out as one of the most popular sports franchises in the world with a powerful brand, a loyal fan base, and multiple avenues for growth,” he added.
However, formalities such as ratification from the BCCI, IPL Governing Council, its WPL counterpart and the Competition Commission of India are still pending.
Earlier, IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals was acquired by US-based Kal Somani-led consortium for USD 1.63 billion (approx Rs 15,290 crore),
The Somani-led consortium includes Rob Walton from the Walmart family and Hamp family (Ford motor company).
Somani is an Arizona-based tech entrepreneur who has founded IntraEdge (technology services and solutions), Truyo.Ai (data privacy rights and AI governance) and Academian (edtech services).
The other contenders to buy the team, which won the inaugural trophy in 2008, were the Times Internet-led consortium, the Aditya Birla Group and the Mittal family led by ArcelorMittal CEO Aditya Mittal.
