-- Signs agreement to treat half the dialysis patients previously under care of Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health

RIYADH Saudi Arabia, Feb. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- DaVita, a division of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc. (NYSE: DVA) and a leading provider of kidney care services, today announced it has signed a major tender from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health to treat half of all dialysis patients previously under the Ministry's care – roughly 5,000 patients in total.

Under the award DaVita will open as many as 80 centers and is undertaking a substantial recruitment effort to attract new clinical and administrative teammates from within Saudi Arabia and across the world. Many career opportunities have already been posted on DaVita.com/SA with more coming in the near future.

"It is an honor for DaVita to work with the Ministry of Health to deliver high-quality kidney care to its patients," said Dennis Kogod, chief operating officer of DaVita HealthCare Partners. "We congratulate Health Minister Dr. Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Rabeeah on making this agreement possible and for working to improve the quality of life for people living with chronic kidney disease in Saudi Arabia."

As in many parts of the world, prevalence of chronic kidney disease in Saudi Arabia has accelerated over the past three decades due largely to changing lifestyles, population growth, urbanization and longer life expectancies.

"DaVita stands in partnership with the Ministry of Health in addressing this issue," said Bjӧrn Englund, president of DaVita in Europe and the Middle East. "We bring a number of industry-leading programs including vascular access management and an innovative vascular access training program for nephrologists. We know this will have a lasting, positive impact on the patients we serve."

DaVita will also be a prime resource to the Ministry of Health in identifying ways to prevent kidney disease within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

For more information on DaVita's efforts in Saudi Arabia visit DaVita.com/SA.

DaVita and DaVita HealthCare Partners are trademarks or registered trademarks of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About DaVita

DaVita is the dialysis division of DaVita HealthCare Partners Inc., a Fortune 500® company that, through its operating divisions, provides a variety of health care services to patient populations throughout the United States and abroad. A leading provider of kidney care in the United States, DaVita delivers dialysis services to patients with chronic kidney failure and end stage renal disease. DaVita strives to improve patients' quality of life by innovating clinical care, and by offering integrated treatment plans, personalized care teams and convenient health-management services. As of Dec. 31, 2013, DaVita operated or provided administrative services at 2,074 outpatient dialysis centers located in the United States serving approximately 163,000 patients. The company also currently operates outpatient dialysis centers located in Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. DaVita supports numerous programs dedicated to creating positive, sustainable change in communities around the world. The company's leadership development initiatives and social responsibility efforts have been recognized by Fortune, Modern Healthcare, Newsweek and WorldBlu. For more information, please visit DaVita.com.

Contact Information
Media:
David Tauchen
+1 (303) 876-2802
David.Tauchen@DaVita.com

SOURCE DaVita