A $20 MILLION healthcare facility featuring a first-of-its-kind rehabilitation centre in the country will open by mid next year.
Services at the rehab centre, alongside the upcoming 75-bed Kims Bahrain Hospital in Umm Al Hassam will be provided by Europe-based Clinea in co-ordination with Kims Bahrain Healthcare (KBH) Group.
The private healthcare group also has plans to open two more medical centres in Janabiya and another in the Sitra industrial area in the next five months, adding to its existing four facilities – including three medical centres and one hospital.
The plans were announced yesterday after the group signed an agreement with Clinea, one of the world’s largest operators of rehab facilities.
Agreement
The announcement was also part of KBH marking its 15th anniversary in Bahrain, which involved opening its fourth medical facility yesterday.
The new medical clinic is a multispecialty centre in Muharraq, which features outpatient and emergency clinics along with 13 specialities.
“Rehabilitation centres form an essential part of healthcare infrastructure and are often associated with goals of getting patients rehabilitated to the point where they can live on their own,” said Kims Healthcare Group chief executive Dr Sheriff Sahadulla.
“For Kims, the association with Clinea forms an important part of its expansion in Bahrain.
“Our goal in Bahrain is to provide the spectrum of healthcare delivery to include primary, secondary, tertiary, post-acute and home care.”
He was speaking at a Press conference held in the Gulf Hotel Bahrain yesterday, in the presence of Clinea chief operations officer Emmanuel Masson, Kims Healthcare Group chairman and managing director Dr M I Sahadulla, Kims Bahrain Medical Centre chairman and Royal Bahrain Hospital (RBH) president Ahmed Jawahery, and Kims Healthcare Group GCC operations executive director Jacob Thomas.
Mr Masson told the GDN that Clinea, a company with 30 years of experience in the field of rehabilitation and with close to 1,000 centres in 16 countries, was excited about its “first footprint in the GCC” in Bahrain.
“The focus will be on local need and our team will train around 100 to 150 full-time equivalent staff from Bahrain – including citizens and expats – for the facility,” he said.
“We want people in the centre to communicate with the people coming to us and who can understand their culture.
“We hope to expand and the future could be in Dubai, where we see an increasing demand for the facility, while in Bahrain this is our first footprint in the GCC.”
Meanwhile, the new clinic in Muharraq was opened yesterday by Supreme Council for Health chairman Dr Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa.
Services
It aims at serving people in Muharraq, Arad, Busaiteen, Galali and beyond.
It is equipped with outpatient and emergency clinics, and facilities and services such as – endoscopy, physiotherapy, diagnostics, radiology, pharmacy and optical outlets.
It also has 13 specialties which include internal medicine, family medicine & general practice, gynaecology, peadiatrics, ENT, cosmetology and, ophthalmology, general surgery, orthopedics, dental, urology, cardiology and gastroenterology.
“We are extremely happy to expand further in Bahrain with KBMC Muharraq,” said Dr Sahadulla.
“Our healthcare institutions enjoy immense popularity and goodwill in Bahrain and we will continue to build on our patient-centric values and quality care.”
Community
Kims established its first medical centre in Bahrain in 2004, in Umm Al Hassam, which was also the country’s first private healthcare facility.
Bahrain is the GCC headquarters of the group which has two hospitals and 11 medical centres in the Gulf employing 900 doctors and more than 2,000 nurses.
The facilities covering around 1,800 beds receive around 7,500 outpatients a day.
“Kims has always strived to maximise its reach and bring healthcare services closer to the community,” said Mr Jawahery. “The Muharraq centre’s ideal location will allow residents and families to access our medical services in their vicinity a lot easier. We look forward to welcoming our patients and to provide them with the best medical care services at an affordable cost.”
The group also hosted a reception to mark its anniversary at the Gulf Hotel Bahrain last night, which was attended by diplomats, health officials and guests.
raji@gdn.com.bh
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