- ESG Strategy is tightly connected to Burjeel’s mission to bring the highest quality of healthcare to communities in the GCC
- The strategy covers the four key pillars of Healthy Environment, Healthy Community, Healthy Governance and Healthy System
Abu Dhabi, UAE, 18 March 2024: Burjeel Holdings PLC (“Burjeel” or “the Group”), a leading super-specialty healthcare services provider in MENA listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (“ADX”) (SYMBOL: BURJEEL; ISIN: AEE01119B224), today announced, following the Board of Directors’ approval, its new long-term ESG strategy that aims to position Burjeel as an ethical leader in the healthcare industry with strong commitments to service and operational excellence, ensuring the best care for patients, while promoting a sustainable and healthy work environment for its employees.
Burjeel’s ESG framework is a strategic imperative for its long-term success, centered on the following pillars:
- Healthy Environment – Promoting overall well-being by ensuring a clean environment, enhancing sustainable living and positively impacting health while preserving natural resources for future generations.
- Healthy Community – Fostering the community’s well-being and resilience through efforts to provide accessible healthcare and inclusive environments.
- Healthy Governance – Establishing transparent, accountable and participatory decision-making processes which promote equitable and sustainable management.
- Healthy System – Maintaining a healthy system by optimizing safety, adaptability and efficiency to ensure the safety of all stakeholders and positive outcomes across all Burjeel systems.
With the intention to further promote patient well-being and community health while maintaining transparent and ethical governance, Burjeel has conducted an extensive review of its sustainability strategy. This process has been carried out with the objective of adding stakeholder value, mitigating climate change, and improving internal systems.
Dr. Shamsheer Vayalil, Founder and Chairman of Burjeel Holdings, commented:
“Sustainability remains an important objective for the Group, and we are beginning our important mission to integrate ESG principles formally into our business model and strategy. The nature of our business is clearly about well-being and sustaining our society by providing healthcare across the community and we are seeking to align fully with the best international standards on environmental stewardship and governance.
One of our key ESG priorities has been to strengthen and formalize our public market-oriented corporate governance. At the time of the IPO, we created a Board of acknowledged experts, of whom 70% are independent directors, and in 2023 we established a Business Development and Sustainability Committee to ensure that we integrate sustainability across our entire business.”
John Sunil, Chief Executive Officer of Burjeel Holdings, said:
“In light of our commitment to sustainability, we are glad to share our new sustainability strategy, based on the ESG principles of ‘Healthy Environment, Healthy Community, Healthy Governance and Healthy System’, four pillars that are entirely complementary.
Our ESG performance is absolutely integral to our mission to provide the highest quality of healthcare for communities in the GCC: environmentally, we are aiming for carbon neutrality; socially, our healthcare network cares for the whole social-economic spectrum, and we are delivering medical humanitarian aid, and improving disease prevention and treatment. We also have an ethical business culture, strict patient data protection policies, extensive workforce safety and well-being programs, and we are succeeding in developing a diverse and inclusive work culture.”
Burjeel Holdings ESG targets
Healthy Environment
- Achieve carbon neutrality by 2040
- Develop mid-term targets for a reduction in combined Scope 1 and 2 Green House Gas (GHG) emissions by 2024
- Develop a strategy for accounting for Scope 3 carbon emissions by 2025
- Achieve zero waste to landfill by 2040
- Reduce water consumption by 10% by 2030 and ensure that 5% of total water consumed will be reused each year
Healthy Community
- To positively affect >7 million lives per year by 2026
- Encourage 30% of corporate employees to participate in at least one community volunteer activity each year from 2025
- Implement patient education programs for 70% of active patients with chronic conditions by 2026
- Conduct regular patient satisfaction surveys to ensure patient satisfaction rate1 of 85% or higher
- Ensure 100% of healthcare staff2 complete patient safety training annually by 2026
Healthy Governance
- Maintain a high percentage of independent directors on the board (>50%)
- Ensure 100% completion of ethics and compliance training for all active employees by 2026
- Ensure 100% of hospitals in Abu Dhabi are ADHICS3 accredited and achieve 100% of remaining hospitals becoming ISO 27001 certified by 2027
- Ensure 100% of active employees complete data privacy and security training annually by 2026
Healthy System
- Increase the representation of women in leadership roles4 to 30% or higher by 2030
- Sustain a balanced workforce by maintaining a 50:50 gender ratio by 2030
- Train 100% of active employees on health and safety standards by 2025
- Ensure 100% of hospitals are JCI accredited permanently
- Achieve an employee satisfaction score of 95% in the annual employee engagement survey by 2026
- Achieve a reduction in turnover rate of 15% by 2026
- Ensure 100% compliance of suppliers with ethical labor practices through regular audit by 2026
For a full review of Burjeel’s ESG performance in 2023 and details on the new strategy, please refer to the 2023 Sustainability Report, which is available in the Investor Relations section of the Burjeel Holdings website.
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About Burjeel Holdings
Founded in 2007, Burjeel Holdings is one of the leading private providers of world-class healthcare services in the UAE and Oman, operating a growing specialized healthcare segment in Saudi Arabia. With a network of 76 assets, including 16 hospitals and 38 medical centers, as well as 15 pharmacies and other allied services the Group collectively provides a premier offering in the Gulf region. Burjeel Holdings’ brands include Burjeel, Medeor, LLH, Lifecare, PhysioTherabia and Tajmeel. It has 13 JCI-accredited facilities, with a total 1,708 patient beds across its operations in the UAE and Oman and holds a leading position in the UAE.
Contacts
| Investor Relations: Sergei Levitskii Head of Investor Relations ir@burjeelholdings.com M: +971 50 380 2383 | Media: M. Unnikrishnan Corporate Communications Officer krish@burjeelholdings.com M: +971 50 427 5895 |
