The New Jahra Medical City project, one of the largest healthcare development projects in the Middle East, was recently opened in Kuwait. The project was developed by the Amiri Diwan in collaboration with Pace, one of the leading multidisciplinary consultants in the region.

The hospital in the Al Jahra Governorate – Al Qasr Region was inaugurated by the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, with the attendance of the Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al Mubarak Al Hamad Al Sabah, and Kuwait National Assembly speaker Marzouq Al Ghanim, along with a select group of ministers and other decision-makers.

President of Financial and Administrative Affairs at the Amiri Diwan, Abdul Aziz Saud Ishaq said the project was initiated in 2013. Construction work commenced in March 2015 and was fast-tracked to completion in three years.

Pace CEO Tarek Hamed Shuaib said the medical complex comprises eight separate buildings, the most prominent being the main hospital premises, which rises to 15 storeys and has a total built-up area of 440,000 sq m.

“The architectural design process started with a concept based on the introduction of nature to the internal environment. The purpose of this is to create harmony within the facilities, as a means of contributing to the treatment and healing of patients. Green areas and interior spaces play an active part in strengthening this direction of design, creating an atmosphere full of life in numerous spaces,” he said.

The KD365-million ($1.18 billion) project includes a 1,234-bed hospital, a fully-equipped dental facility with 115 treatment rooms and a regional health administration building. It also features a women’s centre; trauma centre; 32 operating suites including two hybrid operating rooms, a hybrid CT operating suite, and a hybrid MRI operating suite.

The outpatient facilities have 22 departments with 135 clinics with state-of-the-art equipment which includes a 10-seat hyperbaric chamber, the only one of its kind in Kuwait. Other service buildings include a public car park and staff car park, both accommodating 5,000 cars and two emergency shelters, each for 300 people, Shuaib noted.

A helipad is located on the roof of the diagnostic and treatment block, right above the Emergency Department’s trauma section.