​As part of the government plan to develop health services in the state, the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) announces completion of main works of Umm Al Seneem Health Center, implemented by Building Projects Department to serve about 600 patients per day through 40 various medical clinics.

Umm Al Seneem Health Center is situated on an area of 27,600 square meters and it includes a main building of two levels covering all clinics, besides some annex buildings such as Masjid, support services building, guards building, supervisory workers room, MEP maintenance center, ambulance garage and provision of 297 parking slots.

Engineer Amal Al Sulaiti from Buildings Projects Department at Ashghal confirmed that Ashghal has accomplished the main works of Umm Al Seneem Health Centre, which sits in a key residential area to serve around 600 patients per day, to be added to the list of health buildings completed by Ashghal in 2021 such as Al Khor Health Centre and South Al Wakra Health Centre.

She added that within the framework of the state's support for local products, the proportion of local products used in the project will reach about 40%, and the local products include iron, steel, electrical and mechanical tools, glass among other materials.

Design Features
Facilitates People with Special Needs
Eng. Amal Al Sulaiti added saying, the design has considered people with special needs including provision of signboards with expressive images, Braille script symbols for the blind, suitable washrooms, wide corridors and automatic doors for ease of movement, reception desks with appropriate height, parking lots close to the main entrances and ramps instead of stairs.

Heritage and Sustainability
The heritage and local culture are also considered in the design while ensuring its conformity with highest international standards of fire safety, and 3-star green buildings sustainability rate. Above all, the engineering design of this health center has incorporated next generation technologies in the field of medical equipment.

She also clarified saying, the designs of new health centers are in accordance with high standards of quality and safety and standards of Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS), where design and operational considerations were taken to achieve environmental quality of 3-stars in terms of energy saving and preserving environment, including:

• Use of solar energy for heating water inside buildings.
• Use of natural lighting by making panoramic openings in the ceilings to allow sunlight entry, contributing to saving electric energy used in lighting, and purifying the place as much as possible.
• Creating a system to rationalize consumption of water inside and outside the building.
• Provision of green spaces for plants and trees in the premises of the building.
• Environment preservation during the project implementation period.

For his part, Engineering Support Section Head Eng. Obaida Al Athba says that all works on the project were implemented in accordance with local specifications and international standards, and the project has achieved more than 2,553,000 manhours without lost time injuries so far, due to Ashghal’s keenness on provision of all safety measures for workers of the project.

Services Provided at the Main Building:
Ground Floor
- Pharmacy (medical provisions, stores, and 6 distribution points)
- General Clinics (14 clinical rooms)
- Women’s Wellness Clinics (general clinic rooms, 2 maternity clinic rooms, 2 healthy baby clinic rooms, and one ultrasound room)
- Outpatient clinics (2 observation rooms capable for 6 patients, 2 treatment rooms for 4 patients, 2 blood sampling rooms, 3 biometrics rooms, isolation room)
- Radiology department (X-ray room, mammogram room, panoramic room, ultrasound room)
- Women’s prayer room
- Cafeteria

First Floor
- Specialty clinics (2 ophthalmology, 2 audiology rooms, dermatology clinic, ENT clinic)
- Dental clinics (8 clinics)
- Lab
- prenatal training room
- Nutrition awareness room
- Multipurpose hall
- General services
- Fitness center attached with physiotherapy, changing rooms and showers for men and women
- Rest rooms and lockers for men and women workers
- Meeting room and library
- Cafeteria

Masjid Building
Ashghal bagged two Sustainability Awards (2016) in health and education facilities from Gulf Organization for Research and Development (GORD), lead organisation related to performance-based system of GSAS implementation and development in the MENA region. Over the past years, GORD examined the designs of building projects –educational and health buildings - and conducted site visits to Ashghal’s projects to verify that the projects match GSAS standards.

It is worth noting that Ashghal implemented six new health projects in 2018, including construction of five new health centers, namely Al Khor Health Center, Al Wakra South Health Center, Al Sadd Health Center, Al Mashaf Health Center and Umm Al Seneem Health Center, with total capacity to serve about 3500 visitors daily, besides building the National Health Laboratories building, bringing the total value of the six projects to about One Billion Qatar Riyals.

The new projects come as a realization of Qatar Vision 2030, which is the basis of Ashghal strategy to provide integrated infrastructure and public utilities that serve all sectors in the country, especially health sector, as Ashghal has implemented about 24 health facilities during 2004 to 2018.

It is worth to mention that health facility projects occupy a major chunk of building projects implemented by the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) in cooperation and coordination with health care sector entities represented by the Ministry of Public Health. Notably, the primary health care sector has recently witnessed major developments through opening of several modern health centres, first of its kind in Qatar in terms of the development of services provided and its vast construction areas to accommodate large numbers of patients and visitors, and thus delivering quality improved medical services to patients.