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Bupa (pronounced ) is an international healthcare group, serving 29 million customers in over 190 countries. It is a private healthcare company, as opposed to the UK's National Health Service (NHS), which is a tax-funded healthcare system. ==History== Bupa (originally, the British United Provident Association) was established in 1947 when 17 British provident associations joined together to provide healthcare for the general public. The original services offered by Bupa included private medical insurance, and eventually expanded to include privately run Bupa hospitals. It was founded before the advent of the National Health Service (NHS) in 1947 as a provident organisation. Initially, it was purely a UK health insurance provider, offering policies to individuals, companies and other organisations. Bupa Ireland was set up in 1996 and eventually had 300 employees in Fermoy, Co Cork and 475,000 members – a 22% share of the Irish market. In 2006 it announced its intention to close in response to the Irish Government's policy of risk equalisation. In 2007 the business was bought by the Quinn Group and traded as Quinn Healthcare. Since 2012 it has been trading as Laya Healthcare.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Our story, our people :: Laya Healthcare Ireland )〕 In 2007, the company announced plans to sell its UK hospitals to Spire Healthcare.〔(BUPA sells hospitals to private equity firm ) - Guardian UK〕 During 2008, the firm acquired the London-based Cromwell Hospital flagship hospital to provide healthcare to its members and other private patients including medical tourists from outside the UK. Approval was given for the merger between Bupa's Australian arm (which, prior to the merger, comprised HBA and Mutual Community) and insurance group MBF.〔(MBF-Bupa merger gets court go ahead ) - Australian Broadcasting Corporation〕 The merger created Australia's second largest private health insurance group. On 1 December 2008, Clinovia's name was changed to Bupa Home Healthcare.〔(Bupa Home Healthcare website )〕 In October 2010 the firm sold Bupa Health Assurance to Resolution Limited, and it has been rebranded as part of Friends Life.〔(Bupa insurance operation snapped up by Resolution ) - Financial Times〕 In the end of 2012 Bupa acquired largest private healthcare network in Poland – Lux Med for €400m from private equity fund Mid Europa Partners.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Mid Europa Completes the Sale of LUX MED to Bupa )〕 Over the years, it has diversified away from its core health insurance business and is now an international healthcare company with services that include travel insurance, health insurance, care homes, health assessments, occupational health services and hospitals. The firm is a private company limited by guarantee; it has no shareholders, and any profits (after tax) are reinvested in the business. Since the Health and Social Care Act 2012 came into force in April 2013 Bupa has won the single highest-value contract – a £235m deal to provide musculoskeletal services in West Sussex jointly with Central Surrey Health in November 2014. In February 2015 Bupa acquired a controlling share in Chilean private healthcare network Cruz Blanca, which has a 21% share in the local market. 〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Grupo inglés Bupa Sanitas negocia compra de Cruz Blanca y pagará alto premio por acción )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bupa」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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