UK private hospital operator goes into Abu Dhabi ownership after £1bn deal
UK independent hospital operator Circle Health Group has been bought by an Abu Dhabi-based holding company in a deal worth $1.2bn (£953m).
PureHealth, the largest healthcare platform in the Middle East, already boasts many healthcare companies including in the US as part of its global expansion programme, but this acquisition marks its first entry into the UK.
As part of the deal, the company will gain Circle Health’s entire portfolio including specialties such as orthopaedics, oncology, cardiothoracic surgery, ophthalmology, neurosurgery and general surgery.
This also includes the new state-of-the-art hospitals the group has been building, including the UK’s first purpose-built rehabilitation hospital in Birmingham.
Circle Health currently employs over 8,000 workers with partnerships with 6,500 consultants in more than 50 hospitals in the UK
Since being founded in 2004, the group has grown both organically and through acquiring BMI Healthcare which PureHealth will now take on board.
In 2019 Centene Corporation, a leading US healthcare enterprise invested in Circle Health and acquired the remaining equity interests in July 2021.
Farhan Malik, MD and group CEO of PureHealth, said: “This acquisition marks an important milestone in our journey towards creating a global healthcare network which revolutionises patient care. Our mission is to drive scientific innovation to unlock longevity and greater quality of life for humankind.
“Through integrating the expertise of both organisations, we positively impact the lives of patients globally. PureHealth, as the region’s largest healthcare group, is well-positioned to make significant contributions to the improvement of healthcare systems and access to world-class medical services in the UAE and beyond.”
The deal underlines the UAE’s increasing position as a global pioneer in the provision of world-class healthcare.
PureHealth recently completed a $500m purchase of an equity investment in Ardent Health Services, US’s fourth largest private healthcare group.