His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah patronized yesterday a ceremony of signing the contract for the construction of Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Hospital at the Ministry of Public Works. His Highness the Prime Minister received a briefing by the Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for Municipal Affairs Dr Fadhel Safar highlighting the project and the services to be provided by the facility.

Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Minister of State for Development Affairs, and Minister of State for Housing Affairs Sheikh Ahmad Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Advisor at the Prime Minister's Diwan Dr Ismael Al-Shatti, Egyptian Minister of Housing Ahmad Maghrabi, Egyptian Ambassador to Kuwait Taher Farahat, a number of senior staff at the ministry of public works, and senior officials involved in the project attended the signing ceremony.

His Highness said that the new hospital would be purely executed and supervised by Kuwaiti national engineers. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the contract-signing ceremony, he said: "The erection of Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital by national engineers is a source of boastfulness to Kuwait." He vowed that more development projects would be carried out and supervised "by sons of Kuwait in the coming stage".

Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for Municipal Affairs Fadhel Safar lauded the new hospital project as a "rare national scientific and architectural edifice in the region".

The new medical facility, once completed, will house specialized clinics and medical suites and will be equipped with sophisticated medical equipment, together with efficient and highly skilled staff, he said.

The project will cost an estimated total of KD 303 million, and will take four years to implement. The new hospital will include 1,268 beds. On the other hand, the Ministry of Public Works will sign five contracts worth KD 15 million for the implementation of new projects, including Boubyan Port and Sheikh Jaber Bridge, he said. The private sector is to be involved in the execution of these national projects that will be put out for tender, he added.-