FOUR health centres, three hospitals and a specialty centre are being planned in Bahrain in the next few years, it has emerged.
Among the facilities, aimed at bolstering the country’s healthcare sector, are health centres in Galali, Hidd, Budaiya and East Sitra, a maternity hospital in A’ali, a hospital in West Riffa and a long-stay hospital and a multiple sclerosis centre in Muharraq.
This was revealed yesterday during the first meeting of the Strategic Health Planning and Training Committee tasked with studying Bahrain’s future needs of the health sector.
The online meeting was chaired by committee head and National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA) chief executive Dr Maryam Al Jalahma.
“This meeting comes as a response to a 2019 resolution for the launch of a committee under the Supreme Council for Health (SCH) but was delayed due to the coronavirus,” she told the GDN.
“The committee aims to study the current statistics of government and private healthcare sectors to assess the strategic needs with reference to beds, specialties and the social development of Bahrain related to these.
“It also aims to look into the future of the training for Bahrain in the next five years.”
During the virtual session, Dr Al Jalahma presented details of infrastructure and professionals in the healthcare sector currently, while SCH planning adviser Zahra Badr reviewed the National Health Plan.
Adviser to the Health Minister Hessa Al Derazi reviewed the ministry’s plan to build healthcare facilities, while SCH training and planning director Lieutenant Colonel Ahmed Al Ansari presented the trainings carried out in the ministry.
“The ministry presented the details of its projects for the next five years, in terms of hospitals and health centres,” said Dr Al Jalahma.
“New health centres in Galali, Hidd, Budaiya and East Sitra, a maternity hospital in A’ali, a hospital in West Riffa and a long-stay hospital and a multiple sclerosis centre in Muharraq are among the future projects presented.
“The SCH presented a review of the National Health Plan approved by the Cabinet, giving importance to an overall study of the healthcare workforce and needs for the future.
“Finally, there was also a presentation on the current training strategy in the healthcare sector.”
The committee also decided to study the identification and distribution of the beds in government and private hospitals, to evaluate the current status of family physicians’ availability in relation to the population in Bahrain, and to propose investment opportunities in the health sector.
“The committee will co-ordinate with the relevant government bodies and universities to be able to implement its terms of reference,” said Dr Al Jalahma.
“A decision was also taken to come up with the status of beds in private and public sector healthcare facilities and healthcare workers in relation to population.”
The committee also consists of representatives from the Shaikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa Heart Centre, King Hamad University Hospital, government hospitals, primary healthcare centres, the BDF Hospital, private health sector, Bahrain Medical University, Arab Gulf University, University of Bahrain and Information and e-government Authority.
“The committee is concerned with studying health investment opportunities in Bahrain and in preparing an investment plan for the health sector, which will be submitted to the SCH which will put up a proposal to develop health plans for the public and private health sector, to keep pace with the future requirements, in line with the Economic Vision 2030,” said a SCH statement.
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