Dh3bn Rashid Hospital makeover: Mini healthcare city

A Dh3 billion Rashid Hospital redevelopment plan has been unveiled as part of the Dubai Health Strategy 2013-2025, which will include state of the art medical facilities, along with two hotels, residences and a lake way to transform the complex into a mini healthcare city of its own.

Approved by His Highness Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the hospital’s master plan design has been inspired by his three-finger acknowledgement, which stands for victory, triumph and “I love you”.

Scheduled to be rebuilt along with its existing adjoining area, the new facilities will also include six specialised health centres, a mosque and landscaping and open spaces for children and families.

Essa Al Maidoor, Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) said: “The plan has been designed to ensure the hospital, hotel, rehabilitation and recreational areas face the Dubai Creek Park, Al Khor Park and so that patients and medical tourists can enjoy panoramic views of the creek, all colour schemes and interiors will also aid in the healing process and provide a positive and relaxing atmosphere.”

Three-tower design

The Rashid Hospital masterplan has been divided into two categories: treatment area and hospitalisation area.

Al Maidoor explained further: “Each tower will be seven-storied and will have 300 beds, bringing the total capacity to 900 beds.

“The ground and first floor of each tower will have operation rooms, radiology, laboratory and other common services.

“Patient rooms will be located from the second to the fifth floor. The towers will have six VIP rooms and seven royal suites.”

Also on the plan is a covered car parking area that can accommodate 4,000 cars, which will be connected to the hospital.

“The area will also have a mall with a walkway that has a string of coffee shops, utility stores, flower shops etc,” said Al Maidoor.

He said the construction area for the hospital is 100,000 square metres and the entire master plan will be built using green building standards.

New healthcare facilities

Six new specialised centres of healthcare and an outpatient building are also on the blueprint, which include a day-care surgery unit, an oncology department, along with centres for ophthalmology and haematology.

The DHA had earlier announced that Dh38 million has been sponsored by Abdulsalam Rafi and Sons to build a state-of-the-art outpatient building.

Taking this plan forward, as part of the strategy, the DHA will execute this project but with an expanded vision, with an additional floor completely dedicated to the field of dentistry.

Meanwhile, the existing trauma centre will also undergo an extensive expansion plan over the next two years.

Al Maidoor said: “The trauma and emergency centre provides excellent levels of care for trauma and poly trauma patients.

“The two-year expansion plan is being built on the concept of pre-engineered buildings, which means it will continue to function as usual and at the same time the expansion work will be on-going.

“The walls will be manufactured in advance and will be installed directly onsite.”

He said the expansion will add 160 beds and 116 treatment rooms to the trauma centre.

The Dubai Diagnostic Centre will also be built with the latest technology and international standards, which will be linked to 5,000 diagnostic centres in the world and will be able to exchange state-of-the-art information on the latest in diagnostic services.

Hotels, shops and residences

The masterplan also includes the construction of state-of-the-art rehabilitation centre that can accommodate 500 beds.

On each side of the rehab centre, a hotel will be constructed: one five-star and another four-star that will have a total capacity of 1,000 rooms.

The five-star hotel will also have 20 chalets.

The rehabilitation area will have a health and fitness centre, a smoking cessation clinic, a relaxation area to promote health and wellness, along with a covered parking facility that can accommodate 2,500 cars.

“Patients who come for rehabilitation and do not need hospitalisation can stay in the hotels itself.

“The area will be beautifully landscaped with a lake way,” said Al Maidoor.

Added to the hotels will be a souk and commercial office space, with former comprising 150 shops, alongside 200 flats for commercial and residential purposes.

Al Maidoor added: “Staff housing will accommodate 5,400 families: doctors, nurses and technicians.

“In addition we will construct an additional 120 villas for specialists. There will be ample greenery and play areas that we are specifically designing for children and families.”

Also, in a bid to facilitate regular interaction with the members of the elderly centre and the community, the expansion project will include a heritage market with coffee shops and traditional fanfare activities and a mosque.

The mosque will have a capacity for 150 worshippers.

Al Maidoor said: “The heritage market will bring back memories of life in the old days in the UAE and the elderly population will also get an opportunity to interact with the community.

“Youngsters who come to visit the elderly members in their family will be ample landscaped areas and green lawns.”

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