‘Innovation for prosperity’ – Israeli, Bahraini hospitals announce historic partnership

Sheba Medical Center and King Hamad American Mission Hospital to cooperate on medical research and development.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

Two years after Bahrain normalized relations with Israel following the Abraham Accords agreements, one of the leading hospitals in the Gulf Kingdom announced that it is launching an innovation partnership with a prominent Israeli medical center.

Sheba Medical Center, an Israeli hospital near Ramat Gan that’s been ranked as one of the top medical facilities in the world, and Manama’s King Hamad American Mission Hospital (AMH), the oldest hospital in the Arabian peninsula, will share research, development, and implementation strategies for advanced medical techniques and technology.

Sheba’s ARC (Accelerate, Redesign, Collaborate) in-house medical innovation center will introduce a number of its technologies into AMH’s new medical facility, which is expected to open in January 2023.

“Our growing relationship with King Hamad American Mission Hospital symbolizes how we are looking to promote innovation as a tool for economic growth and prosperity between our two countries,” said Prof. Eyal Zimlichman, Chief Transformation and Innovation Officer at Sheba Medical Center, and founder of the ARC ecosystem, in a statement.

“Innovation is a bridge to foment economic growth and sustainability in order to provide better healthcare to everyone in the region,” he added.

Dr. George Cheriyan, CEO of King Hamad American Mission Hospital, said that “healthcare unites us in a common goal to bridge social, political and religious divides to create an equitable future for all in accessing high quality healthcare.”

Yoel Har-Even, Director of Sheba Global, the international business division at Sheba Medical Center, said that the partnership had great diplomatic and international health implications.

“By signing this agreement, we are demonstrating our strengthening relationship with Bahrain and its health sector,” Har-Even said, adding that “we look forward to working with American Mission to show how Sheba and Israel can use healthcare as a pathway to flourish and succeed in the region.”