Syrian Investors Discuss Establishing Medical Center

A number Syrian investors living in the United States discussed with representatives of the Health Ministry and Damascus Governorate on Wednesday the means to procure the necessary licenses to establish a medical center for treating cancer and spinal cord injuries. The proposed center would be established in Yaafour area with U.S. expertise at a cost of USD 50 million. In a statement to the press, Ahmad Diab, Director General of Syrian Investment Agency where the meeting was held, said that the project will help relay foreign expertise and specializations that Syria lacks and provide job opportunities. He noted that the project faced some setbacks, prompting its supervisors to reach out to the Syrian Investment Agency to help overcome obstacles hindering the project, especially since the project must be finished before 2013. Diab said that relevant authorities were cooperative and presented a number of solutions, promising to resolve obstacles and provide the necessary licenses. In turn, neurosurgeon Dr. Haitham al-Rifaii who is a project supervisor said that the center will provide quality services in oncology and surgery by attracting expertise from U.S. and European universities, expressing hope that the center will become an example for all centers in neighboring countries. He added that the projected costs at the center may be higher than other similar centers, but they will remain less that the fees that patients pay in neighboring countries such as Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey. Al-Rifaii said that the center will be run by resident doctors from the U.S. and other countries, with the rest of the staff consisting of visiting doctors, adding that the center will be directly connected to U.S. doctors via video conferencing.