Ralph de la Torre Cuban doctor who buys five hospitals in the United States

June 24, 2021

Cuban physician Ralph de la Torre, founder and principal shareholder of the private healthcare network Steward Health Care (SHC) in the USA, has purchased five hospitals in Florida for 1.0000 billion dollars, reports Diario las Américas.

Ralph, son of Cuban emigrants and with extensive family and emotional ties to the South Florida community, has acquired Coral Gables Hospital, Florida Medical Center, Hialeah Hospital, North Shore Medical Center, and Palmetto General Hospital.

"I feel immense pride in being able to announce this operation," said Dr. de la Torre, who was a physician at Harvard Medical School's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston.

SHC, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is considered the largest physician-owned healthcare network in the USA. According to de la Torre, it is the largest Latino company in the country.

"I began with Steward, which is an investment capital company, 12 years ago. Little by little we have been buying shares and since May of last year we have been the principal shareholders," explained Dr. de la Torre.

"At the beginning we had six hospitals and 120 physicians, but we have grown to reach the current 45 hospitals, both national and international, and more than 5,000 practitioners."

The extensive healthcare network, also composed of specialized nursing centers and emergency services, allows Steward to serve 12.3 million patients in the USA, Colombia, and Malta. Within the country they are present in Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Utah.

"We are not coming to compete with established healthcare companies in South Florida. We know that many have an extensive history of good patient care. We are interested in working with them so that together we can provide the best healthcare in the world."

The Cuban physician warned that they do not want to stop growing, so he committed to investing in the newly acquired hospitals, buying new equipment and improving infrastructure, as well as recruiting new physicians and healthcare personnel.

"We will work with our partners to achieve a healthcare system that keeps our community healthy and safe. When someone gets sick they will not have to worry because they will have available the best medical care that exists today," he concluded.