The Ministry of Health (MOH) has won the first-place award in the Middle East for “designing future hospitals”. This has declared during the Health Care Sector Building Conference 2015, recently held in Dubai. The 300-bed-capacity Taif Children’s Hospital won the first-place award, while the 300-bed-capacity Abha Hospital was one of the first three. Over 70 candidates participated in the competition with impressive designs for hospitals and its associated infrastructure. The winning countries included the UAE, Qatar, Lebanon and KSA.
On his part, the director of MOH Studies and Designs, Mr. Saleh bin Hassan al-Qarni, affirmed that this success has been achieved thanks to Allah’s guidance in the first place, and to the unstinting support and keen interest shown by the Saudi Government, under the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, may Allah protect him, in the health services, aiming to boost the health services provided by the MOH to the respectable citizens, as well as improving its quality, and upgrading them, in line with the Ministry’s pursuit of serving patients and get their satisfaction.
Al-Qarni extended thanks to all who supported and contributed to the success of the Projects General Department, most notably His Excellency the Minister of Health, and all the MOH’s leading staff including deputies, directors and colleagues. “Everyone has his share in this success,” he confirmed.
These annual awards, it is noteworthy, are offered to healthcare pioneers who have devoted their efforts to building hospitals that help improve the healthcare services provided in the Middle East, and upgrade their level to the internationally approved standard. The Health Care Sector Building Conference 2015 involves exhibitions and symposia that are considered a good platform for the best practices in designing and building healthcare utilities. Besides, they open the door for making good use of the services and technologies that would achieve optimal efficiency, and improve the Middle East patients’ experiences.
Winners of the Health Care Sector Building Conference 2015 included also Qatar Biobank, which won the Best Lab Design Award; Taif Children’s Hospital, which won the Best Future Hospital Award; the Specialized Care Center (Enayah) affiliated to Hamad Medical Foundation, Qatar, which won the Best Real Environment Award; and the Lebanon-based Clemenceau Medical Center, which won the Best Healing Environment Award, and the Best Facilities Management Strategy Award.