ASA Hospital – a place of knowledge and continuous education

The citizens of Sarajevo, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, will get a first private general hospital at the end of next year.

The construction of the first private general hospital in Bosnia and Herzegovina stems from the long-term strategy of diversification and business development of the ASA Group in the field of healthcare and is an expression of the desire to improve the quality of life of B&H citizens through the establishment of a high quality and safe health service.

The first confirmation of that determination was the acquisition of the Eurofarm polyclinic in 2015. At that time it was a polyclinic with 15 employees, and with continuous investment and business development, it has grown to today into the largest private ambulatory-laboratory health system in our country.

Eurofarm Center is currently, with its clinics and laboratories, present in 13 locations in BiH and has more than 200 employees, and the plan is to soon expand to other countries in the region.

As a continuation of diversification in the field of healthcare, we are announcing the imminent opening of the first private general hospital in Bosnia and Herzegovina under the name ASA Hospital. Detailed organization of work and work processes, state-of-the-art information system and medical technology, cost-effective management are important steps, as stated by our interlocutor, Assoc. Ph.D. Rasim Jusufović, Ph.D. med., director of the project of the first private general hospital in BiH, who contribute to the new hospital creating new value, a high quality and safe health service where the patient always comes first.

The director of this project is a successful manager and in his career records numerous successfully implemented projects. According to his basic professional vocation, Assoc. Ph.D. Rasim Jusufović is a doctor of medicine, the field of his academic and scientific interest is health economics, and in addition to his involvement in the Department of Health Economics at the Faculty of Medicine SSST, he is one of the founders of the international postgraduate study in this very current field. He completed his education in the field of business management and economics at the postgraduate study of the Faculty of Economics in Sarajevo, and his knowledge in the field of strategic management at the prestigious Harvard University in the USA. Observing his rich experience as an international manager for several countries of the region in multinational corporations, knowledge of the domestic market and the health system, as well as previous, preparatory activities for the opening of the hospital, we are convinced that there will be no shortage of quality services and top experts at ASA Hospital. Mr. Jusufović, in a very pleasant conversation for Valetudo magazine, revealed a lot of information to us about ASA Hospital, the value of the project, plans and expectations, which you can read below.

VALETUDO: Mr. Jusufović, can you tell us something more about ASA Hospital? When did the construction start?

The construction of ASA Hospital began in March 2021. The investor is ASA Grupacija, domestic B&H. a company that stands out as a leader in a large number of service branches such as insurance, banking, forwarding, car rental, construction and management of industrial real estate and many others.

VALETUDO: Bearing in mind that the ASA Group has experience in many service branches, what are the synergies on which you want to build the business of the new hospital?

Thank you for that question. You know, there is one important link between our drive and success in establishing top expertise in business in the service branches in which we are active and our current aspiration towards establishing a health service of the highest quality and safety that will greatly improve the quality of life of all citizens of BiH.

We often call that link our DNA of the group, and it is reflected in a true and I could say passionate commitment to continuous education and professional development, and it inspires and motivates us to set very ambitious goals.

Our determination here is also confirmed by the work of the Hastor Foundation, which we are particularly proud of, which is guided by the saying that education is the most powerful weapon that we can use in order to encourage positive changes in society.

We are particularly proud of the signed contract with the International Medical University in Vienna and the fact that the clinical management of the ASA hospital will be handed over to the experts of such a prestigious institution and university.

For more than 16 years, the Hastor Foundation has been continuously affirming its long-term mission, which is primarily reflected in the construction of a more stable and prosperous Bosnia and Herzegovina. society. From the beginning of its activity until today, the Hastor Foundation has distributed over 25,000 scholarships to young people who, in addition to financial support, have been given the opportunity to progress, get to know and expand their horizons, and the most important thing – they have unconditional support on the way to personal and professional development.

We see the Hastor Foundation as an inexhaustible source of young talents, future experts who will have the opportunity to prove themselves and develop scientifically and professionally within the ASA health division.

Apart from the foundations in the Hastor Foundation, one of the most important synergies of ASA Zdravstva (ASA Hospital and EuroFarm Polyclinic Center) is the cooperation with ASA Osiguranje, the largest B&H. insurance company, with whom we work to offer health insurance packages adapted to all age groups so that our services are available and affordable to as many of those who need them as possible.

VALETUDO: What hospital services will citizens be able to use at ASA Hospital?

The hospital will have 180 hospital beds on seven floors, 10 operating theaters, 12 specialist departments, and patients will have at their disposal almost all medical services – from emergency care, childbirth, to routine, but also complex surgical procedures.

Through cooperation with the International Medical University in Vienna, we discovered that more and more patients from the Balkans are seeking medical help from them, especially for complex operations and specialized interventions from various medical disciplines. Our goal is to, through this cooperation, provide employees with various educations so that patients from the country and region can receive the necessary health services within the borders of our country. Of course, according to the quality and safety criteria defined by the world standards in healthcare that we strive for.

VALETUDO: By all accounts, this is an impressive project. Can you tell us how ASA Hospital will differ from other healthcare institutions?

Through the concept of its operation, which is decorated with the epithets SMART, DIGITAL and GREEN, ASA Hospital will complement the segment of secondary and tertiary hospital care. With the most modern medical equipment, IT technologies and top experts in certain fields, we will provide our patients with the best conditions for treatment. In addition to the basic goal of providing health care services at the highest possible level, the first private general hospital will also offer its employees a completely different work environment. ASA Hospital will be a place of continuous education and training for the entire medical staff, as well as for all other employees.

VALETUDO: What preparatory activities for the opening of the hospital have you completed so far?

The benefits that ASA Hospital will bring to the citizens of our country are numerous, and this fact is our inspiration and motivation to make maximum efforts so that everything is ready for opening.

One of the tasks that we finalized, and of which we are particularly proud, is certainly the strategic partnership agreement that we signed with the Medical University Vienna International, and it refers to the following areas:

• clinical management of the ASA Hospital, which will be led by permanently employed renowned experts of the General University Hospital Vienna,
• development of the quality and safety management system according to the highest international standards,
• continuous education of staff in ASA Hospital and in the General University Hospital Vienna, i
• development of joint scientific research programs.

VALETUDO: You have pointed out several times that the hospital will be modernly equipped and technologically advanced, so please tell the readers of Valetudo magazine something more about that.

A special part of the team deals with the research of equipment and IT solutions that we plan to use, so neither in that segment, nor in the others, absolutely nothing is left to chance. In addition to the most technologically advanced medical equipment that we carefully select, we have also collaborated with Dedalus, one of the largest global health software companies in the world. We chose this partner because of our focus on digitization and providing a more efficient healthcare service that will be supported by proven, established and comprehensive healthcare software. Also, all processes and movements of materials and people in the hospital are mapped and simulated in a special 3D application in order to optimize and manage them in the best way. This allows us to correctly dimension the necessary space, personnel, medical and other technology.

VALETUDO: Have you already started hiring doctors and other staff?

Yes, as I pointed out at the beginning, we believe that this is one of the most important issues. We are currently negotiating with numerous medical experts from Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also with a large number of our experts who are very successful around the world and want to continue their careers in their homeland. We carefully select the members of our future team and we are very positively surprised by the enthusiasm, engagement and readiness of our experts from the diaspora who want to contribute to our project in various ways.

Through the already signed engagement contracts with such experts, we are realizing our dream that our hospital will not only reduce the outflow of personnel from Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also make sure that experts who were trained and specialized in Europe and the world return to their homeland in order to contribute to the establishment of quality and safe health services for all citizens.

Providing the best medical service will only be possible with the best staff, to whom we will provide continuous education, an inspiring work environment and daily professional development.

However, apart from medical experts from various fields who are at the peak of their careers, the doors of our hospital will be open to all medical and other professionals who are at the very beginning of their professional development, and are willing to learn, progress and give their best in order to make difference and offer added value to our complete healthcare.

VALETUDO: How will this unique health project affect society in Bosnia and Herzegovina?

As I mentioned earlier, this health project will be unique in many ways and we hope to set not only new standards, but also a way of thinking, both in medicine and health care, as well as in BiH as a whole. society, and especially in relation to social entrepreneurship.

We also hope that our example will trigger the action of other entrepreneurs who will use a professional, innovative and sustainable approach to catalyze positive systemic changes that overcome market shortcomings and take advantage of open opportunities.

VALETUDO: When do you expect the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina to be able to start using the services of the ASA Hospital?

We plan to open the hospital at full capacity for our patients in the last quarter of 2023, and before that we have to launch an education program in the field of prevention of chronic diseases. If you want to follow the progress of the construction of our hospital, all information is available at www.asabolnica.ba. It is also the place where you can communicate with us, write to us if you have questions or suggestions, and find details about open employment positions.

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