San Donato Group signs a 419 million deal with Kenya for 15 hospitals
This initiative is part of a wider expansion programme in North Africa and the Middle East
The San Donato Group (GSD) has secured further international agreements and acquisitions; for its operations in North Africa and the Middle East, it utilises its subsidiary GKS, which specialises in the construction of healthcare infrastructure.
It was Gksd itself that signed a letter of intent with the Government of the Republic of Kenya, through the Ministry of Health, for the development of a programme to strengthen the national healthcare infrastructure, which involves the construction of 15 new hospitals in 15 counties, representing a total estimated investment of 419 million dollars. It is a complex country, where there are no tendering procedures as in Europe, and where, consequently, direct relationships and expertise gained abroad make all the difference. The local government clearly sees GSD as a private-sector model which, however, also works with the public sector in Italia, thereby seeking to extend and improve the universal healthcare model.
This is what has already happened in Iraq, where two hospitals are managed directly by the Lombardy-based healthcare group (in Basra and Najaf), in addition to a hospital currently under construction in Baghdad; in Libya, where an agreement has just been finalised to refurbish existing hospitals and build new ones in Benghazi; in Poland, where two hospital groups have been acquired; in Albania, where agreements have recently been signed; and finally in Saudi Arabia, where consultancy work is currently being carried out in hospitals.
The signing took place at the State House in Nairobi, in the presence of the President of the Republic of Kenya, William Ruto. The letter of intent was signed by Aden Duale, Cabinet Secretary for Health, and by Kamel Ghribi, President of Gksd and Vice-President of Gsd.
The programme – as announced by the San Donato Group in a statement – comprises 13 Level 5 hospitals, designed to strengthen healthcare and specialist capacity at county level, and two Level 6 facilities, providing highly specialised care, teaching and serving as national referral centres. The initiative forms part of Kenya’s journey towards Universal Health Coverage and addresses the need to expand the country’s hospital capacity, thereby improving access to specialist services and reducing the pressure on existing healthcare facilities.
