VPS Healthcare, a UAE-based healthcare group, has been named by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) as the official Covid-testing agency of the upcoming 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) in the UAE from September 19.

The venue of the cricket tournament, supposed to be held in India early this year, has been shifted to the UAE owing to the unabated rise in Covid-19 cases in India. In the UAE, the matches will be held in a bio-secure environment to reduce the chance of contraction of Covid-19 among players and supporting staff.
 
Being the official testing partner, VPS Healthcare will be responsible for the Covid-19 testing for all players, support staff of franchisees, BCCI staff, and the wider IPL stakeholders for the entire duration of the tournament. VPS Healthcare has been selected by the BCCI after a series of deliberation. Further, BCCI is in discussion with the healthcare group concerning the provision of other medical services and requirements in line with the tournament.
 
Based in the UAE, the healthcare group has an extensive presence in the three emirates of the country – Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah, where the matches will be held. This has come as a boon for the healthcare group in the selection process. Also, the contribution of VPS Healthcare in containing Covid-19 in the UAE has added weight to its prospects.
 
In the wake of this, VPS Healthcare will be facilitating the Covid-19 solution for the bio-bubble ensuring regular Covid-19 tests in specified intervals. If the ongoing discussion between BCCI and VPS Healthcare regarding the provision of other medical services translates into a deal, the healthcare group will be providing allied medical support services, including hospitalization and treatment in case of emergencies.
 
Safeer Ahamad, CEO of VPS Healthcare’s LLH, Lifecare, and Medeor Hospitals, said: “Our responsibility is to facilitate the bio-bubble by providing Covid-19 solutions for the tournament. As part of this, we will be conducting massive Covid-19 tests of the entire IPL fraternity, including players, supporting staff of the franchisees, BCCI officials and other IPL stakeholders during the entire period of the tournament. We have assigned a team each for three emirates comprising of our highly and extensively experienced Covid frontline warriors who were at the forefront during the peak of the pandemic.”

As the teams have started arriving in the UAE, Covid-19 testing process has already begun. During the tournament, the healthcare group will be conducting over 20,000 tests. The designated team will be available round-the-clock to meet the medical needs of the IPL. – TradeArabia News Service