The Bulgarian Commission on Protection of Competition confirmed the deal with which the Turkish giant 'Acibadem', along with its subsidiary branch in Macedonia-'Acibadem Sistina' Hospital, took over the hospital 'Tokuda' in Sofia, along with its subsidiaries, and merged with 'City Clinic'-the second health operator in Bulgaria.
With the move, the largest health group in Bulgaria was created, which has started operating under the name of 'Acibadem City Clinic'.
The deal was finalized on an official ceremony in Sofia. The deal was signed by Mehmet Ali Aydınlar, Chairman and CEO of 'Acibadem', Ilijan Gligorov, Chairman of 'City Clinic', Angel Angelov, President of the Board of directors of 'City Clinic', Arthur Stern, licensed representative of Dr. Torao Tokuda, and Jordan Kamcev, CEO of 'Acibadem Sistina'.
After the deal was signed, Kamcev announced that through 'Acibadem Sistina', the services of the top Bulgarian hospitals will be easily available to Macedonian patients.
"The sale and purchase deal for the establishment of the biggest medical group in Bulgaria was signed in Sofia. Along with 'Acibadem', AFC and 'City Clinic' we took over 5 hospitals, i.e. the 'Tokuda' hospital and 4 'City Clinic' hospitals, two of which are located in Sofia, while one is in Varna and one in Burgas. With this deal we positioned ourselves on the Balkan map as the biggest operators in the private medical business. The deal was arranged some time ago, but it realized now, after all consents from Bulgarian institutions were acquired. The role of 'Acibadem Sistina' is of great importance. We will be part of the technical support for auxiliary medical personnel and we will help in the realization and implementation of administrative work, which is already finished in Skopje by 'Acibadem Sistina' and 'Acibadem.' In the coming period, 'Acibadem Sistina' will be a training center. For us this will be bring a great satisfaction because we will implement the most sophisticated software programs of 'Acibadem' in the Bulgarian health system together with our colleagues from Istanbul. Through 'Acibadem Sistina', the Macedonian patients will be able to quickly attain services unavailable in Skopje, but available in Bulgaria, at a good price. I think that the synergy which will be created between us and the hospitals in Bulgaria will have a positive influence on a large portion of Macedonian patients as well, who have so far used the services of 'Tokuda' and 'City Clinic' so they can handle their problems", Kamcev said.
Ali Aydinlar pointed that the group's health care services are according to the highest world standards.
"Following Iraq and Macedonia, Bulgaria is in accordance with Acibadem's strategy which focuses on developing the key markets in Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans. The world renowned brand of Acibadem has well developed clinical processes, precise management and operative approach. By uniting the four hospitals, Bulgaria will grow into a leading country in the region offering the highest level of health care," said Ali Aydinlar at the press conference.
Gligorov pointed that these hospitals provide patients with the highest quality service.
"The hospitals use cutting edge technology medical devices. We offer screening, diagnostics, hospital treatment. All doctors have the opportunity to give the most precise diagnosis, which makes their job easier," Gligorov said.
Tokuda is the largest private hospital sector in Bulgaria. The hospital is built on 52,000 square meters building area in the south part of the Sofia’s housing district Lozenetz. It has 11 floors, one of which is underground. The medical equipment is state-of-the-art and is renewed constantly according to the world innovations in medicine. The structure of the hospital is multidisciplinary and almost all medical disciplines are covered here. It has over 30 clinics and departments, 3 surgery wards and 22 operating theaters, equipped with modern medical installations. The hospital has 1,000 beds totally adapted to the individual needs of the patients. The hospital performs around 19,000 surgeries a year, and treats around 240,000 patient annually, 5,000 of which are foreign, mostly from Macedonia or the former Yugoslavia countries, as well as Russians, Europeans, Libyans. There are around 40 Macedonian doctors employed in the hospital.
City Clinic has been working for 6 years, and has 3 hospitals and 3 medical centers, among them a hospital that received the prestigious accreditation Joint Commission International. City Clinic is a leader in treating cardio-vascular and oncology-associated diseases. The cardio-vascular center treats around 50,000 patients a year in the clinics and an additional 6,000 patients who are provided with hospital treatment. The oncology clinic is one of the most contemporary in Europe, offering diagnostics, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, using state-of-the-art equipment, among which PET-scan, gamma-camera, and a cytostatics robot.
Acibadem Group owns 18 general hospitals, 13 medical centers and companies for additional medical activities. The group has over 18,000 employees, and 3,100 doctors.