UAE eyes stake in CVC-owned clinics
A large healthcare group from the United Arab Emirates is in talks with the Hellenic Healthcare Group, which controls the hospitals Hygeia, Metropolitan Hospital, Mitera, Metropolitan General, Leto, Creta InterClinic, City Hospital in Kalamata, Apollonio and Areteio in Cyprus and many diagnostic centers.
Discussions concern a stake in Hellenic Healthcare Group the Arab group wishes to acquire, with the aim of establishing a strategic partnership that will lead to a significant increase in the work of Greek hospitals, given that the UAE pays over 5 billion euros annually to its hospitals abroad for their citizens.
The framework of the discussion, which already started weeks ago, but has not yet taken the form of formal negotiations, envisages – according to well-informed sources – the retention in the equity capital of both the US investor CVC, which currently controls around 90% of Hellenic Healthcare Group, as well as the vehicle of Dimitris Spyridis, which controls the remaining 10%, and the maintenance of the management of the group by the current shareholders.
“We are not interested in selling the group but in concluding a strategic agreement with a third party to bring added value to our activities,” a Hellenic Healthcare Group source says.