Aster and MENASCO to Build Dh350 Million Medcare Hospital in Dubai Studio City

The Medcare Royal Hills Hospital will offer multi-specialty tertiary care, with six operating theatres, a comprehensive cancer centre, cardiac surgery and robotic-assisted surgery. It is one of a series of expansion moves Aster is making in the UAE, where it has committed to investing more than Dh1 billion over the next five years. The UAE is a core market for the healthcare group as it competes with other private operators for patients who want specialist treatment without travelling abroad.

Alisha Moopen, managing director and group chief executive of Aster DM Healthcare, signed the agreement with Bahaa H. Badawiyeh, chief executive of MENASCO. MENASCO partner Ahmed Alraqbani and Dr Shanila Laiju, chief executive of Medcare Hospitals and Medical Centres, attended.

The oncology centre will bring medical, surgical and radiation oncology under one roof. Planned equipment includes a linear accelerator for radiation therapy, PET-CT imaging and gamma scanning, alongside iodine therapy and chemotherapy. There will be a dedicated breast care unit and an apheresis unit, and Aster plans to add bone marrow transplants later.

The hospital will also offer immunology and haematology, neurology and spine care, and neuro-interventional and interventional radiology. A catheterisation laboratory will support cardiac procedures. The emergency department will have 18 observation beds and handle trauma cases. Other facilities include a paediatric intensive care unit, endoscopy services, a sleep laboratory and a labour, delivery and recovery suite with a water birth unit. The building will have a gross floor area of about 239,000 square feet and a built-up area of around 430,000 square feet.

"Our partnership with MENASCO is an important step in expanding Medcare's footprint in Dubai and making advanced specialised and tertiary care more accessible," Alisha Moopen said. She said the hospital would complement the group's 12 existing clinics in the area. Aster founder and chairman Dr Azad Moopen said the group employs more than 20,000 healthcare professionals and staff across the GCC.

Aster has made several other UAE moves recently. It has agreed with Al Tawfeeq for Development and Investment to invest in International Modern Hospital in Dubai's Al Mankhool area. That deal still needs regulatory approval and would add 116 beds and 39 outpatient clinics to Aster Hospitals' current UAE capacity of 399 beds. Aster Clinics UAE plans to grow its primary care network from 85 facilities to more than 100 by 2030, backed by Dh100 million of investment, and expects its workforce to reach 4,100. The company said annual patient numbers across the clinics rose 15% in the past year.

In November 2025, Aster said it had secured AED265 million in financing from Emirates Development Bank for two new multi-specialty hospitals in Dubai, adding more than 250 beds in total. Medcare Royal Hills is now scheduled to open by 2029.