M42, a global health technology organisation based in Abu Dhabi, has established a formal partnership with Bahrain’s Royal Medical Services (RMS) to provide heart and lung transplantation services for Bahraini patients. The collaboration, formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), aims to create a comprehensive care pathway spanning pre-operative assessment through to postoperative follow-up.
The agreement falls under Bahrain’s National Program for Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation, known as “Hayat”, and leverages the transplantation expertise of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, which operates as part of the M42 group.
Clinical capabilities demonstrate regional transplant advancement
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi has emerged as a significant transplantation centre in the UAE, having completed over 774 transplant procedures since establishing its multi-organ transplant facility in 2017. The centre performed 241 transplants in 2024 alone, reflecting a substantial volume of complex surgical activity. The hospital has received official recognition from the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) as a Centre of Excellence for Adult Cardiac Surgery.
His Excellency Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Shaikh Fahad bin Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, Commander of Royal Medical Services, described the partnership as “a remarkable synergy between the Abu Dhabi Government and Bahrain,” adding: “I am confident that M42’s collective expertise, combined with our resources, will benefit countless people in need, enhancing healthcare outcomes and accessibility across the region.”
Broader implications for regional healthcare development
The MoU was signed during the Arab Health Exhibition and Conferences by Shaikh Fahad and Hasan Jasem Al Nowais, M42 Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.
Al Nowais emphasised the strategic significance of the collaboration, stating: “In partnering with Bahrain’s Royal Medical Services, we are together serving the people of the country with life-saving transplant procedures and personalised care, establishing a new benchmark for healthcare delivery in the region overall.”
Beyond immediate clinical service provision, the partnership outlines several additional collaboration areas for future development. These include medical education programmes, clinical fellowships, advanced laboratory diagnostic services including genomics, joint research initiatives, and technology deployment to enhance care delivery.
M42 was formed in 2022 through the integration of G42 Healthcare and Mubadala Health, and now operates with 20,000 employees across more than 450 facilities in 26 countries. The organisation’s portfolio includes Diaverum, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Imperial College London Diabetes Centre and Moorfields Eye Hospital Abu Dhabi, among other healthcare providers.
This partnership reflects Abu Dhabi’s strategic positioning as a healthcare hub with advanced organ transplantation capabilities, supported by appropriate infrastructure, clinical expertise, and healthcare facilities. The collaboration aims to improve access to complex tertiary care procedures for patients in Bahrain while strengthening clinical knowledge exchange between the two countries.
