Jahra Medical City completed in record time - official

KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah patronized and attended the opening of Jahra Medical City yesterday. Upon arrival, His Highness the Amir was received by Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah, Minister of Health Sheikh Dr Basel Humoud Al-Sabah, Amiri Diwan Administrative and Financial Chief Abdulaziz Saud Ishaq and CEO of Mohamed Abdelmohsen Al-Kharafi and Sons Company Loay Jassem Al-Kharafi. The ceremony was attended by His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem, His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and senior state officials.

Huge role

In his speech at the event, Minister of Amiri Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah said the Amiri Diwan is playing a huge role in boosting Kuwait's developmental plan through executing vital cultural, social, entertainment and judicial projects. With the opening of Jahra Medical City, the Amiri Diwan has moved to cover the health sector, he added.

The city includes six 724-000-square meter buildings, expanding over 235,000 square meters of land space, said Sheikh Ali. These include four sections for patients rooms, the biggest gynecology and emergency and accidents centers in Kuwait, one of the biggest laboratories, educational facilities and conference rooms, 5,000 parking spaces, helicopters landing spot and emergency shelters, the minister noted. The project that includes 1,234 beds for patients was built within three years with a cost of KD 364 million.

In this occasion, Kuwait's Minister of Health Sheikh Dr Basel Humoud Al-Sabah delivered a speech in which he extended sincere thanks and deep gratitude to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah for patronizing this ceremony. The New Jahra Hospital, which consists of four-towers with 14 floors surrounded by parking spaces for about 5,000 cars, was built on an area of 7,250,000 square meters, is considered a great addition to the health care process in the country, he said.

The hospital includes some 1,234 beds in the internal sections, for adults, women, children and newborns, as well as intensive care units, cardiac care, critical cases, radiation services, laboratories, blood bank and pharmacy, he added. The hospital also includes 131 outpatient clinics covering all specialties and providing health services, ambulance and emergency services through a modern and integrated system in accordance with the latest international specifications. The minister in his speech also expressed thanks to the working team of the Amiri Diwan, led by Abdulaziz Ishaq. In the coming period, and after the opening of the new hospitals, the clinical capacity will increase by approximately 7,000 beds, bringing the total clinical capacity of the Ministry's hospitals to approximately 16,000 beds in different specialties and in line with international standards, he said.

Record time

The Amiri Diwan has succeeded in completing the Jahra Medical City project within a short span of three years, its administrative and financial chief Abdulaziz Ishaq said. Speaking to the press, Ishaq reiterated that the buildings include the biggest gynecology and emergency centers in Kuwait, in addition to laboratories, educational facilities, parking lots and clinics. The city also provides a nursery where medical staff and employees can leave their children while they handle their duties, he said.

The main hospital includes 156 ICU rooms, and offers new services in the region such as hyperbaric medicine, with the first unit in Kuwait and the world's second largest one. The facility provides patient transport service (PTS) through the second biggest one worldwide.

The city includes a huge central laboratory with automated lines, 6,000 square meters; Kuwait's largest maternity and gynecology center; 45,000 square meters; biggest emergency department in the country, 18,000 square meters; 135 outpatient clinics, totaling 31,000 square meters; lecture and conference halls and other education facilities; four robotic pharmacies; and a helipad. In addition, there are 115 dentistry clinics in three floors, totaling 29,000 square meters. It also includes lecture and conference halls, the state of the art medical equipment, imported from the US, Europe and Canada. - KUNA