By Sami Zaptia.
Tripoli, 18 June 2013:
The British International Hospitals Group (IHG) . . .[restrict]has signed a contract to design, build and operate 9 new hospitals across Libya totaling about LD 2 billion (1 bn pound sterling).
The contract was signed late last week by the Libyan Health Minister Nouredine Doughman, but the value of the contract was not revealed. Libya Herald, however, has learnt that the value of the contract is about LD 2 billion.
If implemented, this would be one of the biggest single contracts signed by Libya post Revolution, and certainly by the Ministry of Health.
Earlier in the month at the Prime Minister’s press conference Health Minister Doughman had revealed that his Ministry had spent over LD 100 million, but that the spending may have not been too visible to the public. This contract, however, will certainly catch the attention of all of the Libyan public coming in a sector that has been in desperate need of investment.
Health Minister Doughman stated today that the hospitals would cover nine different cities across Libya, without naming the cities and that they would be of a capacity of 120-150 beds each.
He also revealed that 20 different British and Libyan medical units consisting of doctors, specialists and administrators will operate these hospitals. They will also provide training for Libyan personnel.
Doughman also revealed that work had actually started in some cities where initial surveys were conducted and that the execution period of the projects is 15 months.
It is noteworthy that IHG had attempted to work in Libya before and had signed a contract to manage the Al Marg Hospital in the Eastern Libya for a period of five years before the February 17th Revolution, but the contract had never been activated. It is not clear if that old agreement is part of the new contract.
As part of that agreement, IHG would have provided a range of clinical, managerial and project staff to work alongside local Libyan and other expatriate staff to ensure the safe and effective operation of the hospital.
The hospital is situated in Al Marg some 60 miles North East of Benghazi, Libya’s second city.
The Al Marg hospital comprises some 300 acute beds provided through a mix of single bedded, double bedded and six bedded wards and full range of clinical and non-clinical services including:-
- A&E Department with dedicated minor operating rooms
- Six main theatres
- Two delivery theatres
- Eight intensive care beds
- Eight cardiac care beds
- Radiology (incl MRI & CT) and pathology services
- CSSD, Kitchen, laundry, stores
- Administration
The hospital had been refurbished and re-equipped and was in excellent condition throughout with modern European equipment in place.
Accommodation is provided within five minutes drive from the hospital in self contained, modern apartments (constructed in 2009) in a dedicated IHG block.
IHG is part of the International Group (http://www.igroup.co.uk), a private family owned business that has been engaged in several different business sectors on an international basis since 1964.
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