Bahrain spends an average of BD426 ($1,122) per citizen annually on medical care, compared with BD256 per expatriate.

Supreme Council for Health chairman Lieutenant-General Dr Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa revealed the figures as he addressed the inauguration of the Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa Specialist Cardiac Centre, Awali, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

It was held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, who also laid the foundation stone for the project.

Citing updated statistics, Dr Shaikh Mohammed said that the rate of direct expenditure on healthcare per Bahraini citizen stands at 16 per cent, compared with 20 per cent worldwide.

He briefed the Premier on the model of the project, the multi-phased implementation of the scheme and medical services.

Dr Shaikh Mohammed thanked the Premier and the leadership for their resolve to promote modern health projects and achieve the goals of sustainable development.

“The centre is a dream come true,” he said, hailing health strides in the prosperous era of His Majesty King Hamad.

He hailed the Premier, who had the far-sighted vision to direct officials, engineers and doctors to draw up designs of the medical milestone.

He stressed the importance of the medical hub which would keep abreast of global medical treatment in the diagnosis and treatment of heart diseases.

“The new state-of-the-art specialist cardiac centre is a value-added medical milestone in the diagnosis and treatment of heart diseases in Bahrain,” he said.

Financed by Abu Dhabi Development Fund, the centre includes on its ground floor outpatient clinics, a department of radiology and imaging, a pharmacy, physiotherapy and sterilisation wards, in addition to parking lots and other services.

The second floor comprises operation theatres, intensive care units and a laboratory, in addition to other wards for men, women and children.

It has a potential for expansion to include more wards.

The new medical milestone is part of vital projects that are planned and implemented under the direct supervision of the BDF.

The centre, which is expected to open its doors in the first half of 2018, will include 148 beds, up from 68 beds in the existing cardiac hospital.

With the opening of the cardiac milestone and the King Hamad University Hospital Tumour Centre, the number of beds per 10,000 people will be 24, up from 22 at present.

According to official statistics, Bahrain has 2,498 beds, 3,475 doctors and 5,627 nurses, sufficient enough to meet health needs of around 1.4 million people.

BDF military works and project team chief Brigadier Dr Abdulla Rashid Mandi Al Tamimi also lauded the Premier for his directives to launch the vital medical milestone.

A documentary film spotlighting the  Premier’s keenness on enhancing the health sector and opening vital health projects was screened. - TradeArabia News Service