$ 2.7 bn Cancer Centre for ME

by Dylan Bowman on Monday, 21 May 2007

A consortium plans to invest up to AED 10 billion ($2.7 billion) to build a specialist cancer hospital in the Middle East fronted by Kylie Minogue.

Sheikh Samir Mirdad, the prominent multi-millionaire businessman recently connected with the takeover of English football club Leeds United, said he was advising the consortium and has recommended they build the facility, Khaleej Times reported.

He claimed a full return on investment was expected after five years of operation.

Sheikh Mirdad said pop sensation and cancer sufferer Kylie Minogue and 1970s singer Cat Stevens were being considered as potential board members.

The consortium is currently looking for a location to build the facility, and Sheikh Mirdad said Dubai was one of the cities under consideration.

The hospital will include surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy facilities, as well as a call centre to provide information to the public on cancer detection and prevention.

"The clinic would have the best treatment for various types of cancer from all over the world," Sheikh Mirdad told Khaleej Times.

He said an initial investment of between AED 5 billion ($1.36 billion) and AED 8 billion ($2.18 billion) could see the hospital completed by next year, including extra facilities such as clinics for plastic surgery and anti-aging, as well as two rehabilitation units.

The rest of the AED 10 billion, he said, would pay for future expansion into areas such as heart problems and diabetes.

Alami Consulting