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THE laying of the foundation stone for Bahrain's new Health Oasis ensured students of the future will get a taste of the past with a time capsule incorporated into the ceremony.
The all-important foundation stone of the development was laid by the Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa in a ceremony on the site adjacent to the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) medical school at Busaiteen.
At the same time Shaikh Khalifa also interred a time capsule containing a map of the Health Oasis and other items representing the spirit of the noughties which will offer students of the future a glimpse of our times.
The RCSI Bahrain Health Oasis is a culmination of a 30-year relationship between the government and the college. It will feature a medical education and healthcare campus within a mixed-use waterfront development aiming to provide an international healthcare centre of excellence unlike anything elsewhere in the Middle East.
When completed, it will integrate world-class healthcare, state-of-the-art medical education and research and health sector enterprises aimed at encouraging 'novel approaches' to healthcare and healthcare delivery.
Situated on the new north Manama/Muharraq arc, the RCSI Bahrain Health Oasis will feature a waterfront outlook to Bahrain Bay, the World Trade Centre and the Bahrain Financial Harbour and will extend over a combined site of 60 hectares of multiple inter-related components.
The three keystone elements will be:
l The RCSI Bahrain - the medical and para-medical training facility which was set up, at the invitation of the kingdom's government in 2003 and, earlier this year, moved into state-of-the-art premises at Busaiteen where hundreds of students from the island, the Gulf and beyond are training to be doctors and nurses.
l The King Hamad General Hospital (KHGH) - a 312 bed general and teaching hospital, currently under construction by the government and adjacent to the Oasis site. KHGH will be the main teaching hospital for RCSI Bahrain and is scheduled to open in mid-2010. At the invitation of the government of Bahrain, RCSI will manage and operate KHGH. The RCSI Commissioning team has been on the ground since May 2008 and is working in partnership with the Ministry of Health to prepare KHGH for opening.
l Oasis Private Hospital (OPH) - which will perform a central role in the RCSI Bahrain Health Oasis and will deliver much of the specialist medical care within the Oasis. In doing so, it will have the support of the KHGH and RCSI Bahrain.
Launching the multi-billion dollar facility, the Premier said: "Bahrain has once again taken the lead in providing the best healthcare anywhere in the region and with this addition, it will become the destination of choice for hundreds of thousands of people who will come for their general well-being, as well as to receive medical treatment in idyllic seafront luxury and ambience."
He was joined at the ceremony by the Irish Minister of Labour Affairs, Dara Calleary, who called the development an 'exciting and unique health opportunity'.
Professor Frank Keane, the president of the RCSI, said the laying of the foundation stone represented the start of an exciting journey for all involved.
It is envisaged that detailed planning and design for the Oasis will begin towards the end of 2009 and the project will be implemented on a phased basis over a period of three to eight years.
