Work is progressing at a steady pace on the Comprehensive Disability Complex, a BD7.41-million ($19.5 million) project coming up in A’Ali area of Bahrain, with 65 per cent project already completed.

It is one of the biggest and most specialised complexes for the disabled in the Middle East, being funded by the Kuwaiti Fund for Arab Economic Development at a cost of $23 million; covering the cost of construction, tools and equipment, furnishing and decoration and provision of buses specially equipped for the disabled, said a statement from the Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning.

The government has allocated a 29,106 sq m of land and a total construction area of 18,765 sq m. Once ready, the complex will accommodate 1,450 persons and 160 administrative persons at the main building, it stated.

The Comprehensive Disability Complex boasts nine separate buildings specialising in treating, educating and rehabilitating a certain group of the disabled, like those suffering from Down syndrome, the deaf, the dumb, the autistic, and those suffering from brain damage and mental illnesses.

Other departments include physical therapy, psychotherapy, work therapy, a specialised library, psychological support center and measurement, evaluation and diagnosis center.

The project design has taken into account the new requirements of the Ministry of Social Development when it comes to attending to people with special needs, remarked Ahmed Al Khayyat, the works affairs undersecretary at the ministry.

He was touring the complex site in A’Ali, accompanied by members of the Northern Municipal Council and a number of engineers from the ministry.

The visit was aimed at introducing the council members to the project, implementation phases and the latest developments in construction works.

The modern design of the complex keeps pace with development in the kingdom, provides a comfortable and interesting educational, medication and rehabilitation environment and also takes into account other important factors such as sustainability, green buildings and energy preservation, noted Al Khayyat.

Each building comprises treatment rooms, rehabilitation and education rooms, together with offices for the therapeutic, educational and administrative body, service facilities such as toilets and stores, education and training buildings, health club, multi-purpose show room, the main administrative building and sub-power station, control room, water tank, guard room and external fence, he added.

The Construction Projects Directorate of the ministry has carried out the engineering design for the project and is currently supervising implementation of the project, said Al Khayyat.

The location for the new complex has a number of access points on the roads network, four bus stops, parking spaces especially designed for the disabled, visitors, the administrative, education and medical staff that can accommodate 308 vehicles.-TradeArabia News Service