Gulf Construction Online - 14 health projects on way in Abu Dhabi

UAE Focus

14 health projects on way in Abu Dhabi

01 February 2012

IN a major initiative to bolster healthcare, Abu Dhabi has given the green light for the building of six world-class hospitals, according to The National.

Abu Dhabi’s Executive Council has approved building six hospitals that will increase bed capacity by up to a third, along with a medical rehabilitation centre, a dialysis centre, four ambulatory clinics, a special-needs centre and a disease prevention and screening centre.

A new general hospital and a specialised paediatric hospital will replace existing facilities at the pioneering Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), according to the newspaper.

A dedicated women’s health hospital will also open in SKMC, replacing the existing Corniche Hospital. The moves will increase the bed capacity in SKMC from 568 to 838, with the possibility of future expansion. The 235-bed Corniche Hospital, a city landmark, will be demolished.

The rehabilitation centre and the centre for disease prevention and screening will be in Khalifa City A. The special-needs centre, which can accommodate 80 cases, will be in Al Mafraq.

A new replacement Al Ain Hospital is also planned, increasing bed capacity from 412 to 713.

Ghayathi and Al Sila hospitals in the Western Region are being replaced with new facilities, with an increased capacity from about 30 beds per hospital to as many as 80.

With the exception of the women’s health hospital at SKMC, all replacement hospitals will be built near the existing ones. Work on the projects will not disrupt the operations of the existing hospital facilities.

“The government is setting world-class standards for providers to meet,” said Saif Bader Al Qubaisi, chairman of Seha, Abu Dhabi’s health services company.

“The new healthcare facilities are an example of how these standards have been translated into reality.”

The expansion will help to prepare for future healthcare needs. Officials at a GCC health conference last November said more than 2,000 additional hospital beds would be needed in the next 15 years to meet growing demands.

Increased competition between the public and private sectors could help healthcare to progress in the emirate, experts said.

Meanwhile, United Eastern Medical, a private health care provider, will open its own dedicated 200-bed women and children’s hospital, Danat Al Emrat, next year.