Dubai SME, the agency of the Department of Economic Development in Dubai mandated to develop the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector, has signed an agreement with S.S.Lootah Group to enable students of medicine and pharmacy to establish projects in related fields. The agreement aims to promote entrepreneurship and healthcare projects in Dubai and the UAE in general.
Ibtihal Al Naji, Senior Manager, Government Procurement Programme (GPP) at Dubai SME, and Yousif Saeed Lootah, Board Member of S.S.Lootah Group signed the agreement at the Dubai SME headquarters in the Business Village. Abdul Basit Al Janahi, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai SME, and officials from both sides attended the signing ceremony.
“This initiative is in line with Dubai SME’s strategy to continually enhance the services provided for Emirati entrepreneurs and promote cooperation and exchange of experiences in the scientific, training and professional fields. Through our partnership with S.S.Lootah, we seek to nurture a generation capable of confidently stepping into the world of trade and investment with their experience in the field of healthcare,” said Al Naji.
“Dubai SME supports healthcare projects and we have a number of members currently engaged in such initiatives. We support them and provide necessary counsel on their chosen sectors, notably pharmacy and general medicine. Together with S.S.Lootah, we will form a specialised team to develop suggestions, studies and programmes to achieve the objectives of this strategic agreement. The first phase will start with an introduction to Dubai SME’s services available for medical and pharmacy students,” added Al Naji.
“The growing health sector in the UAE and the GCC in general offers varied investment opportunities, especially with technology fast evolving. Studies conducted by S.S.Lootah showed that a sizeable section of the fresh graduates in healthcare would prefer to work on establishing new projects such as specialised services centres for large hospitals or smaller clinics and health centres,” said Lootah.
He also stressed the importance of keeping pace with the tremendous advances in the healthcare sector, pointing out that there are a number of medical and pharmacology graduates in the UAE who have internationally recognised scientific qualifications and practical experience gained through international cooperation programmes with prestigious medical institutions. Many of them have also attended training in Dubai Health Authority hospitals as per the latest and best international standards.
S.S.Lootah Group promotes small and medium enterprises through the creation of new business opportunities with international participation and supports initiatives aimed to achieve sustainable economic development.
