Philadelphia; May 3, 1999 –Leonard Karp and Mustafa Asaad, two senior healthcare specialists from Philadelphia International Medicine (PIM) in the USA, are travelling throughout the Kingdom between 7-11 May to meet with officials from the Ministry of Health and leading representatives from some of the major hospitals and healthcare institutions.

The purpose of the visit is to establish contacts and explore opportunities for partnerships in hospital management, outpatient care and other clinical developments including many aspects of after care and rehabilitation.

"We want to develop closer ties with the healthcare community in Saudi Arabia and create a greater awareness of Philadelphia as a leading international medical destination, and Philadelphia International Medicine as a distinguished speciality hospital group," states Mustafa Assad, Director of PIM Middle East Division.

"Our goal is to establish Philadelphia International Medicine and its considerable healthcare resources as a one-shop referral contact and an international medical destination-of-choice for both medical care and continuing medical education. We currently have operations in the Middle East and Brazil and are seeking new partnerships for both educational opportunities and in the provision of high quality, specialised patient care," he added.

Philadelphia International Medicine links the Greater Philadelphia area’s nationally recognised hospitals with leading physicians and medical technology to make comprehensive, quality healthcare available to the international community.

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Philadelphia International Medicine’s leading medical centres are also cited repeatedly by national and international sources for their pre-eminence in a variety of fields, including cardiology, neurology, oncology, paediatrics and urology.

To remain abreast of current medical techniques and research, the hospitals and physicians utilise the latest technology, including telemedicine, to exchange information with other top-tier medical centres at the forefront of medical research and treatment.

Coupled with Greater Philadelphia’s place in medical history and the role the region plays in medicine today, the benefits of Philadelphia International Medicine’s international programme to referring physicians and international patients are many. Through this dedicated network of speciality hospitals, the programme offers innovative and specialised treatments designed to meet the needs of international patients. Philadelphia International Medicine’s member hospitals have extensive experience in caring for patients across the US and abroad, as evidenced by the consortium’s nearly 150,000 inpatient admissions in 1997, and more than 1.2 million outpatients visits.

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Issued on behalf of Philadelphia International Medicine, by Gulf Hill & Knowlton, Jeddah. For more information, please contact Damian James on Tel: 02 673 8888 Ext.380, Fax: 02 672 6393, E-mail:ghkjed@zajil.net.

Philadelphia International Medicine (PIM) member hospitals include: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Christiana Care, Crozer-Keystone Health System, Fox Chase Cancer Centre, Moss Rehab Hospital, Pennsylvania Hospital, Temple University Hospital, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, University of Pennsylvania Medical Centre and Wills Eye Hospital.

Often labelled ‘the birthplace of American medicine," Philadelphia and the surrounding region count for more medical milestones than any other city in the United States. Philadelphia’s place at the forefront of American medical history began with the founding of the new nation’s first hospital and first medical school in the mid-1700s. The region continued to expand as a medical epicentre with the establishment of the first women’s medical school, the first children’s hospital and first hospital devoted to cancer in the nation. In addition to establishing so many of the nation’s inaugural medical institutions, Greater Philadelphia area physicians and surgeons have pioneered many of work’s groundbreaking medical procedures and programmes, including the first successful removal of a brain tumour, the first successful operation for appendicitis and the first intensive care unit.

Today, the Greater Philadelphia area boasts the largest concentration of healthcare resources in the United States. More than 20 percent of all physicians in America graduate from Philadelphia area medical schools or post-graduate medical education programmes. Within a few miles of the city, there are more than 120 biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, over 70 manufacturers of biomedical equipment and more than 60 biomedical research institutions. The percentage of physicians engaged in research is the largest of any metropolitan area in the country.

As Executive Vice President and Chief Operation Officer of Philadelphia International Medicine (PIM), Leonard Karp is in charge of all operations and was instrumental in the creation of the start-up company.

Mr. Karp has a long background in healthcare and has served as vice president of the Delaware Valley Healthcare Council, an organisation of 150 healthcare providers, since 1990. As vice president, Mr. Karp is responsible for all media relations, advocacy and government relations, educational events and special projects. He is engaged in healthcare policy setting for the region and state.

Mr. Karp has also worked as a special assistant and director of public information for the New Jersey Department of Insurance; a journalism lecturer at Temple University; and an award-winning reporter.

Mustafa Asaad joined Philadelphia International Medicine in 1998 as Director, Middle East Division. In 1991 he graduated from Al Ain College of Science in the United Arab Emirates and, more recently, was the Public and Patients’ Relations Director of the UAE Embassy’s Medical Affairs office in Washington, D.C.