HMC Launches the First Integrated Medical City in the Region

In an interview with AL-SAHA Magazine, Eng. Mohammad Al Mansoor: “Hamad Medical Corporation launches the first integrated medical city in the region within the next three years”.

Hamad Medical Corporation is keeping pace with the colossal boom in economic, social, and demographic domains in the state of Qatar. Based on its responsibility as the main provider of healthcare in the Country, HMC had to provide citizens and residents with high standard health services comparable to counterparts in the developed countries.

Since the modern trends of healthcare development focus on the provision of integrated medical services through specialty hospitals, HMC envisioned the creation of an ideal medical city, which would incorporate a number of specialty hospitals as well as related support peripherals such as staff housing and recreation facilities, to be one of a kind in the Middle East.
 

An Integrated City

Eng. Al Mansoor said that Hamad Medical City would be an integrated medical complex consisting of three specialty hospitals and the related support facilities such as staff accommodation, recreation centers and other support services. This medical complex would be the largest of its kind in the region in terms of total land area, equipment, and healthcare quality to be rendered to patients from inside and outside Qatar.

The foundation stone for this giant complex was laid on May 17, 2003 as part of the ASIAD Village, which would be utilized by athletes and organizers of the 15th Asian Games to be hosted by Doha City In December 2006. Once the Asiad is over, the buildings and structures would be refashioned to suit medical utilization by HMC.

The complex would be erected on a land area of 450,000 m2 and consist of the following components:

- Hospitals, therapeutic facilities, and National Health Authority office buildings.
- Medical Staff and nurses residential buildings, and a tunnel road access to the complex.

The complex project would be executed over phases with a total cost of QR 3.2 Billion.

Hamad Medical City would comprise three hospitals with a total bed capacity of 1,100. It would feature 3 tower buildings of 6, 9 and 12 stories respectively. The towers would accommodate a 338-bed Pediatric Hospital, a 200-bed Orthopedic Hospital, a 230-bed Physical Medicine and Physiotherapy Hospital in addition to a 40-bed Day Care Surgery Center, a 288-room Home Care Center for the elderly and a renal dialysis unit.

The first four levels of each hospital building would be designated for outpatient clinics, operation theaters, pharmacies, support services, management offices, a cafeteria and a mosque. The upper floors would be designated for inpatients.

HMC was determined to have the complex built in accordance with the internationally approved American standards. Support services such as storage, laundry and food catering facilities would be situated in the underground levels of the complex buildings. The complex would be provided with 650-car parking lots. Other buildings in Hamad Medical City would include:

- National Health Authority 8-storey office building which would accommodate 1,600 employees and inclusive of a 300-seat auditorium. This building would be serviced by 450-car parking lot.
- Apartment buildings, consisting of 216 apartments to accommodate employee families and a mosque.
- Female nurse apartment buildings, consisting of 634 apartments to accommodate 2584 nurses.
- A medical training center, which would accommodate 350 trainees.
- A social and sports facility club consisting of 50 hotel-style rooms, to accommodate visiting doctors, and an indoor swimming pool.
- A social and sports club for nurses, complete with an indoor swimming pool.
- A large mosque for the city residents, patients, and visitors.
- A 700 m long road access tunnel to the city on Ahmed Bin Ali St. at the cost of QR 65 million.
- A 170 m long central air-conditioning station.
- A commercial plaza to be situated at the center point of the city.
 

Project Execution

The project, which started in December 2003, would be carried out by the Public Works Authority. The structural work has already started and the next stage would be cladding the building structures with granite and glass then the internal finishing work would take place.

Each of the facilities at Hamad Medical City would be executed in phases and in specified timeframes. The structural work for the hospital complex, for example, would be completed in mid 2006, whereas the internal finishing and furnishing would be carried out by 2008.

The residential buildings are in the internal finishing stage, and the National Health Authority office building and the sports clubs would be internally finished by the end of 2005. Work is being executed round the clock by 7000 construction workers supervised by 126 engineers and architects.
 

HMC’s Role in the engineering work

The projects’ blueprints have been designed in collaboration with the Engineering Department at Hamad Medical Corporation to ensure adherence to medical specifications in the design and the material used. HMC also participates in the quality control process. We anticipate the approval of the American Medical Association to the hospital complex at Hamad Medical City as all of the Association’s specifications have been strictly adhered to.

The local engineering and construction sector has been visibly involved in this gigantic project, which has a crucial completion deadline. The evident involvement of the local construction sector in the project is in line with the directives of the Qatari Cabinet who made it imperative that 30% of each construction contract be assigned to local contractors.
 

Hamad Medical City Website

Health Information Systems at Hamad Medical Corporation has designed and put live a website for Hamad Medical City.