DAVITA Kidney Care, a division of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc., a leading independent provider of integrated health and kidney care services, has opened a new state-of-the-art vascular access center in Jeddah, offering Saudis with chronic kidney disease an outpatient alternative for surgical access procedures which are typically performed in the hospital. "This was made possible through our partnership with the Ministry of Health," said Dennis Kogod, chief executive officer of DaVita HealthCare Partners International. "The center is a key piece in providing an improved quality of life for all patients with kidney disease in Saudi Arabia." A well-functioning vascular access is a "lifeline" for patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD), as it makes life-saving hemodialysis treatments possible. Dialysis is needed by patients with chronic kidney disease to clean their blood from toxins, usually three times a week. The new DaVita center offers comprehensive vascular access care to patients across Makkah Region, where communities will benefit from the full range of interventional procedures available (venous catheter, arteriovenous fistula and arteriovenous graft). The clinic has the capacity to perform ten procedures a day and can treat up to 1,200 patients. DaVita Chief Medical Officer in the Kingdom, Dr. Abdulkareem Al Suwaida, said that the new center is a milestone for the company. "The addition of this new center further highlights our intention to provide the best-in-class kidney care and treatment to patients, as part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia community." The center was visited by Dr. Tareef Al Amma, deputy minister of health for therapeutic services, who was able to see the fully operational clinic in action. "The opening of this new vascular access center in Jeddah is a great step forward to improving the lives of Saudi patients with kidney disease," said Al Amma after his visit. The center is part of a Ministry of Health program to deliver international-standard kidney care to Saudi patients in partnership with DaVita Kidney Care, a multi-national company and global specialist in the provision of world-class kidney care and treatment. DaVita and Lifeline Vascular Access, a wholly owned subsidiary of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc. and a leading provider of management services exclusively dedicated to the improvement of vascular access care, are working together to ensure that the new vascular access center in Jeddah will improve clinical outcomes and provide the best possible support to its patients. Dr. Aris Q. Urbanes, vice president of provider relations for Lifeline Vascular Access, said patients are benefitting from the specialized care and lower risk of infection inside the clinic. "We are truly committed to bringing the highest level of care to our patients and our experience allows us to help them improve their quality of life." The Ministry of Health awarded DaVita Kidney Care a contract in 2014 to open and run approximately 75 new centers across the Kingdom by the end of 2018 - treating half of the 10,000 dialysis patients in its care. DaVita has already opened eight kidney clinics treating more than 900 patients across the Kingdom, offering cutting-edge technology and bringing kidney care to isolated and hard to reach communities.
