His Majesty King Abdullah on Wednesday laid the foundation stone for a paediatric hospital at the King Hussein Medical Centre (KHMC).



The hospital and emergency department will have a 200-bed capacity, as well as 20 doctors' offices and 40 examination and speciality clinics built on 27 dunums of land.



Construction work on the JD21.4 million facility is scheduled to finish in early 2007.



The contract was awarded to a joint venture between mechanical and electrical engineering contractors, the Dubai-based Drake & Scull International and Jordan's MID Contracting.



Director of the Jordan Royal Medical Services Major General Manaf Hijazi said the hospital would receive cases transferred from other hospitals since it will include all paediatric specialities and surgery.



In addition, the facility will be used for training new doctors and nurses.



Within the vicinity of the children's hospital, a 60-bed emergency room will be established to be one of the largest in the Kingdom, Hijazi said.



Meanwhile, the King inaugurated the JD12 million addition to the Queen Alia Heart Centre at KHMC and the second phase of a project to expand the Princess Muna College of Nursing at a cost of JD4 million. The King also inaugurated a similar JD12 million project to develop the Nuclear Medicine Centre.



The 22-year-old heart centre now has a new building with a capacity of 78 beds, in addition to an 8,000sq.m. administrative building.



Nine classrooms have been added to the nursing college, along with an auditorium, medical and computer labs, a gymnasium hall and administrative offices.



Hijazi said the Nuclear Medicine Centre has been equipped with state-of-the-art equipment to help in early detection of cancer, and other devices to diagnose and treat heart diseases and osteoporosis.



The KHMC, which was established in 1973, consists of five specialised hospitals with a total capacity of 1,000 beds.



Its beneficiary base is estimated at 1.62 million, a third of the Kingdom's population. They include military, security and civil defence personnel, pensioners and their families.



It also offers emergency services.

The Jordan Times