Digital pathology to benefit from Middle East oncology clinics

UPMC and its partnership with Omnyx recently announced the formation of 25 oncology clinics over the next 10 years in the start of a global healthcare business they may expand elsewhere.

Part of this initiative includes Omnyx as part of the project.  Oncology care has at its center, pathology and this use of digital pathology will help further validate the technology, field and use.

This venture offers proven premium clinical services with UPMC, GE Healthcare's experience in global healthcare and IT support, combining key elements essential in the successful implementation and use of digital pathology.  

In doing so, UPMC and its partners will be able to provide "subspecialty care as far forward as possible," and help to elevate the standard of care for the affected patients.

Full story below.   

Oncology specialists take care of in-patient and specialised treatment at the hubs, while outpatient care is offered at more than 30 satellite centres.

UPMC has awarded $300 million contract to Alcatel-Lucent for the development of an IP network project to provide improved communication. It has set up a start-up with GE Healthcare with an investment of $40m for developing and marketing digital pathology systems.

Other major projects include a $367m project for developing IT infrastructure.

Twenty-five oncology clinics will be opened over a 10-year period in the Middle East and Europe by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre (UPMC), a global healthcare business.

And UPMC is considering establishing centres in other countries as it seeks to tackle cancer and raise the global standard of healthcare.

"We are in the process of identifying the countries in Europe and the Middle East where we will set up 25 oncology centres," Simona Abbro, UPMC's International Marketing Director, told Emirates Business.

"We see a greater need for treatment facilities for the increasing number of cancer patients in the region. We estimate that one out of three people gets cancer in Europe against the ratio of one in 20 that was seen 20 years ago." The centres will offer advanced diagnosis and radiotherapy treatment in patients' homes.

"We find that most cancer patients wait for months to get advanced treatment," added Abbro.

"To address this problem we are setting up oncology centres with a focus on developed and developing nations. Countries such as Germany, Turkey, Greece, South Korea and Qatar are under consideration.

"We have entered into an agreement with GE Healthcare, which would as a strategic supplier provide medical equipment for our global initiative. We are also actively forging long-term partnerships with global majors from the technology and healthcare sectors."

Full story: UPMC to set up 25 oncology clinics