Private hospital agrees partnership deals

A PRIVATE hospital, which opens in Waterford later this year, will be run by a world leader in health.

Also, radiotherapy services will be provided by an internationally-renowned cancer trust from the US.

Euro Care International, which has developed the Whitfield Clinic on the outskirts of Waterford city, has formed a partnership with Ascent Health Ltd that will see the healthcare firm operate the hospital.

UMPC Cancer Centres from Pennsylvania will provide cancer care including radiotherapy at the Butlerstown North campus.

Dr Jim Madden, chairman of Euro Care International, said the company is delighted to partner with a respected owner and operator of elective healthcare facilities.

“We have been anxious from day one to make this a truly world-class project and our partnerships with UPMC Cancer Centers and, now, with Ascent Health, are very important steps towards achieving that.

“Ascent’s parent company, Health Inventures, has considerable international experience and are industry leaders in the United States, having developed and operated more than 100 successful healthcare facilities to include: surgery centres, surgical hospitals and imaging centres,” he said.

The Ascent team devotes huge resources to providing superior clinical care to the communities they serve and I know that they share our excitement and determination to excel as we continue the countdown to our opening in the autumn.”

In addition to the UPMC Whitfield Cancer Centre, Whitfield Clinic will have four operating theatres, 12 consulting suites and comprehensive diagnostic equipment including Positron Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography (PET/CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanning. The facility will be able to treat 6,000 inpatients and day patients in its first full year, rising to 8,000 by 2010.