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Bahrain investing in new health facilities

Tuesday, 31 August 2010 09:40

Bahrain is working hard to bolster its medical services, investing in new facilities and looking to increase the number of trained health professionals, though a rapidly growing population and an increase in lifestyle-related illnesses will continue to add to the demands placed on the nation’s health care resources.

In May, the minister of health, Dr Faisal Al Hamer, said that though the government was doing its best to deal with the issue, the country’s increasing population could have an impact on the quality of medical care. Indeed, some estimates suggest that Bahrain’s population could more than double in the next 20 years, topping 2.6m by 2030, a level that would put a strain on resources, particularly in the health sector.

In part a response to that possibility, the Ministry of Health announced on August 22 that planning was well advanced for 23 new health and medical centres to be distributed around the country, along with a specialised cancer treatment centre. In addition to this, a new centre for genetic diseases would be opened at the Salmaniya Medical Complex, along with a new hospital in the Central Governorate.

These projects are just part of a wider programme aimed at meeting Bahrain’s health needs. The centrepiece of this programme to upgrade the Kingdom’s medical services is the King Hamad General Hospital (KHGH), a 312-bed facility currently nearing completion and due to open in 2011. Located at Muharraq, the $120m hospital will have six operating theatres and numerous internal medicine suites, a range of diagnostic services, a 12-bed intensive care unit, a 34-bed accident and emergency unit, and a paediatric inpatient unit.

In its role as a general hospital, the KHGH will also have units for obstetrics and gynaecology, neonatal paediatrics, ophthalmology, internal medicine and general surgery, as well as physiotherapy, occupational therapy and outpatient clinics.

The KHGH will also provide clinical training facilities for Bahrain Medical University, sited next to the hospital, allowing medical and nursing students to experience the practical side of their profession. This aspect of the hospital’s function is not a subsidiary role: the development of home-grown medical practitioners is another key element in the government’s plans to expand and improve the health sector and the services it provides.

While Bahrain has the best doctor-to-patient ratio in the region, with a study issued late last year showing that the country had 2.6 medical practitioners for every 1000 people, along with six nurses and 2.5 hospital beds per 1000, the Kingdom still has some catching up to do, especially when compared to Europe, where the average is more than three doctors for each 1000. It is hoped that the training component of the KHGH will help to address this.

In mid-August, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa decreed that the KHGH would be administered by the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) for the benefit of the entire population. The BDF already plays a major role in the nation’s health services, operating the Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Khalifa Cardiac Centre.

While the new facilities will give the country’s health system a welcome fillip, the rising incidence of non-communicable diseases related to changing lifestyles means there is much for the sector to address.

It is estimated that some 15% of Bahrainis suffer from diabetes, the fifth-highest incidence rate in the world, according to the International Diabetes Federation. Obesity rates are also rising, with one study saying that up to 40% of females in Bahrain will be obese by 2015. With coronary ailments directly linked to both obesity and diabetes, it is no surprise that heart disease is the number one cause of death in the country.

With cases of non-communicable diseases on the rise, medical resources will have to be directed to combating these, with a combination of treatment and prevention through educational efforts required.

The programme to improve the Kingdom’s medical services comes at a cost, with at least 8% of the annual budget allocated directly to health provision, a figure that grows when it is considered that the BDF’s share comes under the Ministry of Defence’s budget, while public awareness campaigns such as those run by the Ministry of Education are also separate from core spending.

Health’s share of the state budget is likely to further expand in the coming years, with projected expenditure on infrastructure, running costs and outlays on medicines and equipment all expected to rise, and such spending is central to the government’s vision of a welfare state. With growing demands, however, there may have to be a greater emphasis placed on user payments and private sector involvement to ensure that the government’s goals are realised.

Global Arab Network

This article is published in partnership with Oxford Business Group

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