RAK, UAE, September 3, 2008: Contracts for three new hospitals in the emirate worth Dh700 million (US$190.5m) have been awarded by the ministries of Health and Public Works. The facilities, due to be completed by 2010, are intended to meet the growing demand for health services.

Dr Ali bin Shukr, from the Ministry of Health, said several small, mobile medical units for patients in isolated villages and rural areas would also be established.

Staffed with doctors and nurses, the units could be used for house visits when necessary. The three planned hospitals are: Sheikh Khalifa Hospital, which will cost about Dh350m; a specialist hospital in the Nakheel area, which will cost up to Dh250m; and Abdullah Rashid Omran Hospital in the Humraniya area, which will have about 60 beds and cost Dh100m.

A committee set up to assess health services in the northern emirates has recommended 720 beds be added in Sharjah, Ajman and Ras al Khaimah hospitals. It also suggested an additional 76 beds for intensive care, 65 for babies and 12 mobile beds for critically ill children. It estimated the cost at Dh15m.

RAK now has three government hospitals with 452 beds and a total staff of 1,676, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists and technicians. The hospitals last year received a total of 163,000 patients. There are 17 registered health centres specialising in maternity, primary health care, dental and gynaecology. The total staff in these health centres is 307 and they received 846,000 patients last year.

Mr Shukr said the ministry planned to expand Sheikh Saqr Hospital’s emergency and intensive care department by 20 beds to meet demand.

According to sources at Sheikh Saqr Hospital, it receives an average of 400 emergency cases every day, mostly from traffic accidents.