DOHA: The much-waited Sidra Medical and Research Centre is at the completing stage and would open to visitors soon, said Saad Al Muhannadi, President, Qatar Foundation (QF), yesterday.
He said it was delayed mainly due to the calibre of the project, which is very high in quality.
“There is delay in handing over due the design of the facility and electronic system which is to be implemented,” Al Muhannadi told a press conference ahead of the World Innovation Summit for Health 2015. “The team is in the final stage of completing the premises.”
First announced in June 2004, Sidra will initially have around 400 beds with infrastructure to enable expansion to 550 beds in a subsequent phase. It was slated to open in 2011, and postponed until 2012-end. Once fully operational, it will be an ultramodern, all-digital academic medical centre which will set new standards in patient care for women and children in Qatar, the Gulf and internationally.
Sidra will work with its academic partner Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar and Hamad Medical Corporation with regard to its missions to raise the standard of healthcare in the country and provide opportunities for research and learning. Sidra is provided with $7.9bn by QF, the world’s largest endowment for a medical and research centre.
The Peninsula
