CONSTRUCTION of a $1 billion medical city in Bahrain that will employ more than 700 medical staff is expected to commence in June.
Tenders have already been invited for land clearing on Bahrain’s east coast, where the new King Abdullah Medical City will be located.
The project is being funded with a grant from the late King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on land near Durrat Al Bahrain measuring one million square metres, which was donated by His Majesty King Hamad.
Phase one including a 288-bed hospital complex is due for completion by the end of 2019 and it will be operated by Arabian Gulf University (AGU).
“Phase one of the project will include the construction of three buildings including an eight-storey tower with the 288-bed hospital, a three-storey outpatient clinic and an adjacent building with clinical services including operating theatres, morgue, restaurants and an educational area,” AGU vice-president Dr Khaled Tabbara told the GDN.
“The service and teaching hospital will include the four main axis – internal medicine, surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology – with sub-specialties.
“A total of 144 beds will be allocated for medical surgery, 36 for obstetrics and gynaecology, 24 for paediatrics, 12 for paediatrics day cases, 24 for a neonatal Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 36 for surgical and medical ICU and 12 for labour and delivery rooms.
Facilities
“To initiate phase one, tenders have been called from interested contractors from Saudi Arabia and Bahrain for levelling the land – which is expected to commence next month.
“Meanwhile, our architect Saud Consult from Saudi Arabia is working on the detailed designs and tenders for the phase one construction will be called for in March.
“The work is expected to commence in June and we hope to have the facility operational by end of 2019.”
However, he added there were plans for further expansion and phase two would increase the number of beds to 500.
“Phase two will be an additional tower and a clinical facility, which aims at an increase in the patient intake to 500,” said Dr Tabbara.
“The project will open doors to more than 150 doctors and close to 600 nursing staff.
“We expect there will be a total of 96 consultants, 66 specialists and 28 interns, from among our students at AGU who are currently going for training outside Bahrain.
“There will be 600 nurses working in three shifts at the facility.
“We will be hiring locally and internationally, while we are making headway with our own medical centres to hire.
“We are trying to recruit our own graduates and, slowly, we also hope to bring back our graduates currently training outside Bahrain.”
Meanwhile, the King Abdullah Medical City will also place an emphasis on clinical research.
“The heart of the city is the hospital, which is among its four blocks – the others being staff housing, college of medicine, research and conference centres and a commercial centre aiming at companies with medical interests,” said Dr Tabbara.
“The centre, being under the full authority of the AGU, will help us design and control the medical training.
“Additionally, the hospital being attached to a medical school will also add to AGU’s efforts to establish itself as a hub for clinical research in the region.”
raji@gdn.com.bh
&uuid=(email))