HE Abdullah Bin Khalid al-Qahtani, Minister of Public Health and HE Eng. Nasser Bin Ali Al-Mawlawi, President of the Public Works Authority ‘Ashghal’, went on a field visit to Hamad bin Khalifa Medical City’s Hospitals project, which spans over an area of 227,000 m2 and includes three specialised hospitals, a scientific centre for medical research and a Bio-Bank.
The Minister of Public Health and the President of Ashghal inspected the progress on ground that manifests the great strides accomplished by Ashghal in this project.
The Hamad bin Khalifa Medical City's Hospitals project passed through several stages of development, design, and interior modifications. The project kicked-off in 2003 to study the medical services needs and prepare the buildings to meet the medical needs of the Asian Games that took place in 2006. In 2007, the design work was completed after the Supreme Council of Health made changes on the specialisations of some of the hospitals.
The Public Works Authority received the final adjustments to be implemented on the four specialised hospitals in September 2010, and Hyundai was contracted in 2011 to work on this project and the actual work started in February of the same year.
Currently, the final stages preceding the delivery of the project are being completed; more than 78 percent of the project’s progress has been accomplished. It is worth mentioning that the construction site of the project is one of the safest for workers, as the number of working hours without Time Loss Injuries reached 20 million; this is a record achieved for the first time in Qatar.
There are also awareness campaigns held on weekly basis to educate workers about safety and security precautions and requirements that must be met and adhered to protect them from accidents they may be exposed to on site. The field visit coincided with the start of a one-week campaign for fire safety in construction sites. During such campaigns, that are held frequently, workshops are held for workers, and posters and signboards, which contain direct and clear instructions about security and safety procedures specific to each campaign, are installed. There are currently more than 5,000 workers working on site for 18 hours per day on shifts basis.
Buildings included in this project
The project includes four buildings: the Women's Hospital, the Ambulatory and Minimally Invasive Surgical Hospital, the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Hospital, and the Translational Research Institute and Bio-Bank. It is noteworthy that the designs of the four buildings and the infrastructure, compliant with the specifications of medical equipment, are the best in class and the most advanced in the region. The buildings are seeking to earn an excellent rating with respect to the extent of compliance with safety and security standards approved by the global systems to assess security and safety in buildings. These global systems rates range between four levels, the highest of which is sought by Hamad bin Khalifa Medical City’s hospitals part in this project.
Different concepts were developed for the designs of the four buildings to reflect a comfortable environment for visitors and inpatient, very much like the atmosphere of their homes. The designs consider keeping away the traditional colours and designs of hospitals; this of course leaves a positive impact on the psyche of patients, and accelerate their recovery. These concepts and modern designs have required accuracy in implementation to conform to the advanced features needed by those five-star health facilities. It is of note that after completion and full capacity operation of Hamad bin Khalifa Medical City and the specialised hospitals, the capabilities of the Health Care Sector will improve, and accommodate a greater number of inpatients through the additional rooms and beds that abridge the long waiting lists.
Women's Hospital
The Women's Hospital includes 190 beds for women, 53 beds for the Children Intensive Care Unit, and 48 beds for child incubation. It also includes 19 Labour, Delivery, and Recovery rooms, three of which for VIPs. In addition, there is a Gynaecology Centre that contains three operating theatres specialising in gynaecology obstetrics, and two rooms for Caesarean operations. The building also includes an integrated accident and emergency services management for Caesarean operations, sorting, radiology, treatment rooms, and emergency deliveries rooms. The hospital will provide advanced medical care for more than 8,000 births per year in solidarity with Sidra Hospital. It is expected that the Women's Hospital is to be completed in Q4 of 2014.
The Ambulatory and Minimally Invasive Surgical Hospital
The hospital has 64 beds for patients, 52 beds in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), 14 Operation Theatres equipped with all the resuscitation needs, and 20 Pre-Operation (Pre-Op) beds. The hospital is to accommodate more than 28,000 surgeries per year, with a capacity of 116 beds distributed as follows: 22 beds for Patient Assistance and Care Unit (PACU), 30 beds for the second stage of resuscitation, 64 beds for recovery, and seven suites for endoscopy. The hospital’s clinics are: the Podiatry Clinic, the Gastroenterology Clinic, and the Otolaryngology Clinic, the Ophthalmology Clinic, and the Urology clinic. Three extra floors were added to the Ambulatory and Minimally Invasive Surgical Hospital in order to accommodate the requests of the Supreme Council of Health, and increase the capacity of the hospital to accommodate more patients. The construction stage of the project is scheduled to be completed in Q4 of 2014.
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Hospital
The hospital includes 200 beds for patients with all facilities and equipment distributed as follows: 40 beds for Orthopaedic and Fractures Sections, 40 beds for Cardiovascular Diseases Section, 40 beds for spinal cord injuries, 40 beds for fractures and brain injuries, and 40 beds for children. The hospital also includes one of the biggest Hydrotherapy suites in the region; and the outpatient physiotherapy clinics include: 12 treatment rooms, four gyms, and a master suite for education and support. The outpatient clinics also include occupational therapy, organ transplantation, and support treatment clinics for inpatients, as well as a main laboratory. Construction works of this hospital are almost completed.
The Translational Research Institute and Bio-Bank
Currently, the implementation of designs and interior equipping is under progression for the Translational Research Institute and Bio-Bank in Hamad bin Khalifa Medical City, according to the new requirements approved by the Supreme Council of Health. When completed, this centre will occupy a prestigious status for being one of the most important research centres specialising in the development of medical researches, and the provision of services for research; which is to provide competition with other world-class centres in the field of clinical research. The centre will be one of the essential elements of Hamad Medical Corporation in so far as academic research is concerned.
Hamad bin Khalifa Medical City's Hospitals Project, which costs QR 2.13 billion, is one of the Building Programme’s projects implemented by the Public Works Authority. Ashghal is currently building 5 health centres in different areas of the country, in addition to an infectious diseases hospital, Al Naufar Centre and the Health and Wellness Centre in Umm Slal with a cost of QR 1.2 billion, in addition to a few other health projects that are currently in the design process.