Work on Sultan Qaboos Medical City on track

May 10: Leveraging the steady pace in the public healthcare sector, a gamut of world-class specialities will be the highlight of the Sultan Qaboos Medical City which is getting all set to add a new identity to Barka and the Northern Batinah region.

The project which is in pursuance with the directives of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos and titled ‘Sultan Qaboos Medical City Complex’ whose estimated budget would run over $1 billion, will be home for one-of-its-kind medical enclave where almost all the medical facilities will be made available to the public, besides the advanced research and development facilities for the medicos of tomorrow.

The City will be ready in couple of years, according to Oman’s Minister of Health. “The Medical City which is coming up in Al Fuleij area in Barka will be one-of-its-kind where almost all the healthcare facilities currently available in the world are made available.

The master plan of the same is ready and we are hoping that before the end of this year, the management team will announce all the facilities which are available, all the projects which we have already agreed on”, Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed al Sa’eedi, Minister of Health, told the Observer at an event recently.

“The Medical City team headed by the undersecretary for planning has been working hard and lot of work has already been done towards the project and the team has consulted the delegation from various countries including India and every nation will be given a place in the Medical City”, he added. The complex will have five highly specialised tertiary hospitals in it besides diagnostic centres and offer advanced services in a comprehensive way for the Sultanate’s population.

Organ Transplantation Centre, Rehabilitation Centre, Children’s hospital, General hospital, Head and Neck hospital are the major specialist medical facilities that are currently planned.

Besides these, various laboratories, University Research Centre, Development Centres and above all, a Medical Education City are currently planned to be housed inside the massive complex.

Land worth more than RO 5 million has been set aside for the project and ground preparation is being done.

It will have more than 2,000 beds combined.

Upon completion, the Medical City would be an iconic landmark of Oman and will raise the health standards of the country to further heights, according to him. The minister further said that the zoning of the 5 million square metresland is already finished.

There will be a zone for the Omani government, health institutions, private sector (with regulations), recreational and support services.

Once operational, the new Medical City is expected to work side by side with the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) facilitating the necessary research and development facilities to the students providing them with a source to carry out their research and studies.