KEF Holdings to set up Quaternary care Heart and Orthopaedics Centre in Dubai by October 2021
Dubai: KEF Holdings has announced that it will set up the first Quaternary care Heart and Orthopaedics Centre in Dubai. The Centre, it said will be opened in October 2021 and will link five countries UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Iraq and Qatar to bring efficient, world class and affordable health care to the people.
The Centre will be headquartered at the Canadian Specialty Hospital in Dubai and will cater to patients looking for cardiac and orthopedic care from all these countries.
The announcement was made virtually at Arab Health, titled ‘Future Proofing health care — the challenges and the opportunities’.
Faizal Kottikollon, the founder and chairman of KEF Holdings, said: “The health-care industry has been under increasing strain across the value-chain, as the recent pandemic has illustrated. We need to strengthen our health-care systems right from infrastructure readiness, talent availability to financial stability and build a health-care ecosystem that will be preventative in nature. At present, the patient is outside this eco-system and with Meitra Care Network, in collaboration with MGM Health Care in India and Canadian Specialty Hospital, Dubai, we aim to bring the patient at the centre of this system, making worldclass health care affordable.”
Kottikollon explained: “The way this will work is with the coining of a new term: ‘Phygital’. This refers to the physical and digital consultation. For instance, if a person in Iraq requires cardiac consultation, he will be able to contact the local care centre set up by KEF Holding in his or her country and get a detailed consultation digitally with a cardiac specialist in Dubai. The patient can reach the centre in his country and get all vital parameters checked via tele-health, digitally, which will be recorded in real time with the centre here in UAE. The doctor can then prescribe treatment to the patient if this can be handled remotely.”
He continued: “However, if the patient is assessed to require personal consultation, he or she will be flown in here, operated, physically rehabilitated at the hub, to be stationed at the Centre of Excellence at the Canadian Specialty Hospital. This kind of facility will be available in all the countries under this hub-and-spoke and home model.”
“We want to optimise the availability of specialist facilities, advance cardiac and orthopaedic care and rehabilitation, so that we reach out to the needy patients in the region,” explained Kottikollon, who already has a successful model working at Meitra Hospital, Kozhikode, Kerala, India.
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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.
