Aramex partners with Mubadala to distribute medical supplies to Covid-19 patients

The partnership will make deliveries of prescription and over-the-counter drugs to up to 2,000 patients

Cleveland Clinic hospital in Abu Dhabi. Mubadala Investment Company is partnering with Aramex to distribute medical supplies to Covid-19 affected patients in UAE. Courtesy: FalconEyeDrones

Aramex, the Middle East’s biggest courier company, is partnering with Mubadala Healthcare, a unit of Mubadala Investment Company, to distribute door-to-door critical medical supplies to Covid-19 affected patients across the UAE.

As part of the agreement, Aramex will collaborate with participating hospitals in Mubadala’s Healthcare portfolio including Imperial College London Diabetes Centre, Healthpoint and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi for the delivery of over-the-counter drugs, prescription-only medicines and nutritional feed to affected patients recovering outside of hospital facilities, the two companies said on Tuesday.

Up to 2,000 patients across the UAE are expected to receive medical supplies through the new partnership, according to the companies.

“Aramex has deployed highly specialised vehicles that are quality assured and temperature-controlled to deliver critical medical supplies and the fleet is equipped with the technology and protective gear to be able to carry out the deliveries with utmost safety and care,” Anas Hijjawi, chief commercial officer at Aramex, said.

Listed on the Dubai Financial Market, Aramex employs more than 15,500 people in 600 locations across more than 65 countries. Mubadala, on the other hand, has a presence in five continents with interests in aerospace, technology, oil and gas, healthcare, real estate and petrochemicals, among others.

“This collaboration expands our efforts that aim to reinforce the Covid-19 response through innovative solutions and services,” Hasan Jasem Al Nowais, senior vice president at Mubadala Healthcare, said.

“As part of Mubadala’s #WeAreDedicated initiative, Mubadala Healthcare facilities are always looking for opportunities to ramp up their services to the community by making impactful partnerships with local entities and authorities to protect the safety of everyone.”

In May, Mubadala announced a partnership with Honeywell to produce N95 face masks as part of its drive to nurture the UAE’s manufacturing base and tackle Covid-19.

Mubadala, which manages assets worth $240bn (Dh881.5bn), has increasingly sought to invest in life sciences and the medical technology sector, its chief executive Khaldoon Al Mubarak said in February.

As part of Mubadala’s domestic expansion, the company’s healthcare investment subsidiary bought Abu Dhabi-based Amana Healthcare in January.

The UAE reported 449 new cases of the coronavirus on Monday after 43,551 more tests, with 665 recoveries and one fatality.

Global confirmed cases reached 10.2 million on Tuesday, according to Johns Hopkins University, with the death toll climbing to about 505,000.