Residents of Budaiya have moved a step closer to getting a long-awaited primary healthcare centre after authorities confirmed that land has now been officially allocated and a title deed issued for the project.
The update was revealed in official correspondence between the Ministries of Health and the Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture and the Northern Municipal Council following repeated inquiries by councillors on the project’s progress.
Primary Healthcare Centres chief executive officer Dr Ijlal Al Alawi confirmed that the project remains part of the kingdom’s long-term strategy to expand healthcare services based on population growth and urban development.
Dr Al Alawi
“The land has been allocated and the title deed has been issued,” Dr Al Alawi said.
“Primary Healthcare Centres remains committed to ensuring citizens and residents across all governorates have easy access to comprehensive primary healthcare services.
“The distribution of health centres throughout the kingdom is carried out in accordance with strategic studies that assess population density, service capacity and future urban expansion, while ensuring the optimal use of available resources.
“Needs are reviewed periodically in co-ordination with the Supreme Council for Health (SCH) and the relevant authorities to ensure sustainable healthcare services in line with national health programmes.”
She also thanked the Northern Municipal Council for its continued interest in improving healthcare services and pledged co-operation to serve residents.
Northern Municipal Council member and area councillor Mohammed Al Dossary, who has been following the project for years, welcomed the latest development but urged authorities to move swiftly into the construction phase.
Mr Al Dossary
“At the moment we have the Budaiya Coastal Health Clinic and during closures we go to the Shaikh Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah Health Centre in Barbar,” he told the GDN.
“The clinic should have been temporary and it has been years since its opening.
“The news that land has been allocated is good, but we want to see work start of any kind.”
Residents have long called for a fully equipped health centre to cater for the growing population in Budaiya and neighbouring areas, arguing that existing facilities are operating beyond their intended role.
The confirmation that the land has been formally secured is viewed as the first tangible step towards delivering the project, although no timetable has yet been announced for the start of construction or completion.
“The development is expected to ease pressure on surrounding health centres and improve access to primary healthcare for thousands of residents once the facility becomes operational,” said Mr Al Dossary.
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
&uuid=(email))