Interview with Dr. José Luis Pérez Mateo manager of group Vithas

Dr José Luis Pérez Mateo, tells first-hand the Vithas project in Alicante and the immediate and future plans being carried out in both Vithas hospitals: Medimar International Hospital and Perpetuo Socorro International Hospital. 

What is Vithas?  

Vithas is a private hospital group that was formed in 2011. Firstly, it was located in Alicante together with Perpetuo Socorro Hospital, and now it joins forces with Medimar Hospital. We can say that Alicante will be a Vithas city leader in Spain, with a unique portfolio of services.

What characterizes a Vithas hospital?  

I summarize it in four points: Innovation, patient care, professionalism and trust. In Vithas we make available to our patients technological innovation and healthcare. As for the care of the patient, we do not only want to deal with him or her but also with his or her family.

Both Medimar and Perpetuo Socorro Hospitals have extensive experience and a broad culture widely assimilated by their staff which give special attention to the patient’s family. It is one of the strengths we have been working for a long time.

We focus on technology itself, but with the most qualified professionals. And finally, our greatest desire is to build confidence in the people that decide to choose us for being attended to.

Why Vithas “International”?    

The last two hospitals that have joined our group had the word deliberately in its name: the Medimar International Hospital and the Xanit International Hospital. This is one of the strategic priorities of our group, we orientate part of our presence towards ​​foreign patients who choose this geographical area not only for the climate but by the degree of health capacities we can offer them. Besides this international approach is not only radiated out; in our hospitals we try to have teams of people able to express themselves in different languages.

What does the Medimar (Vithas) International Hospital’s incorporation suppose to the Vithas group?  

The joining of Medimar Hospital to Vithas group reinforces our main goals. On the one hand, we aspire to lead the private healthcare in Alicante; and on the other one, we base our activity and our relationship with patients on excellence. Both Medimar and Perpetuo Socorro Hospitals have a history of great importance and fit perfectly into the philosophy of Vithas.

How does the patient take advantage of this union?   

The portfolio of services we make available to patients is unique, special, different and distinctive; there is no similar offer in Alicante. The whole group of hospitals supposes the attachment of more than 250 physicians. We have the best polyclinic, both for purposes of facilities and professionals (some of them recently incorporated to Medimar). It also highlights our offer on cardiac surgery, radiotherapy or    interventional catheterization. We also have the only PET (Positron Emission Tomography) that can be found in Alicante.

Vithas and technology

Would you say that the Perpetuo Socorro Vithas Hospital has the most technologically advanced operating rooms?

In 2009 we opened the current operating rooms and intensive care unit, this was a breakthrough in our history. We have made available to our doctors and patients all the technology that is possible to concentrate in a hospital, always talking about two concepts that are fundamental for us: one is the safe technology that is proven and verified, and the other a technology clearly oriented to the patient.

In Perpetuo Socorro, we also have the unique hybrid operating room equipped with a computer that allows us the performing of minimally invasive interventional cardiovascular procedures. There is no similar facility in Valencia right now.

We have 14 years of experience in cardiac surgery. If we talk about Medimar, it also has a core of powerful cardiologists and a wide area of ambulatory exploratory wealth, which we plan to improve with the investment plan of 2015. We are convinced that in this speciality we will be able to give all the possible offer to our patients, both in preventive and curative aspects.

In terms of prevention, if we speak of Cardiology, what does Vithas Alicante offer to its patients?   

In cardiology prevention, it is very important. In both centres we have two multislice CAT teams that allow us to detect possible silent pathologies. Every day it is easier to measure cardiovascular risk thanks to non-invasive tests.

What are the future plans locally?  

As immediate projects, we want to complete our services with the acquisition of new equipment and the recruitment of professionals. In the long term, our goal is to keep on growing and incorporate both ambulatory and hospitalization centres.

Locally, we plan for the next two years, some areas in which we want to increase our presence. Although it can be premature to point out, one of our goals is the MCH (maternal and child) area where we want to improve our ability to care response. Also in the oncology area because we believe that Alicante has capacity enough to develop an offer of greater importance. And of course, we want to continue with the investing in an area that is a fundamental specialty in Perpetuo Socorro: cardiology.