Bahrain - Patients suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) may have a dedicated health clinic in the Northern Governorate after the municipal council approved a proposal.
The unpredictable disease of the central nervous system disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body.
Recent statistics have shown that Bahrain has the third highest number of MS patients in the GCC – around 1,000 – after the UAE and Kuwait.
Councillor Abdullah Al Qubaisi, who submitted the proposal, said treatment for MS was very expensive – with injections costing thousands of dinars – and included extensive physiotherapy.
“This is a terrible disease that causes paralysis and, eventually, even death,” he said.
“We need a specialised centre in the Northern Governorate especially since the number of patients is increasing.
“We just want to be like other governorates, as each has a general hospital and specialised health centres and we have neither.
“We need to stand together with these patients and allocate land for the construction of a special centre for them.”
Councillor Hussain Al A’ali said such proposals required extensive study especially since they concerned a health issue.
He pointed out that the proposal may be rejected simply because of the construction underway on an MS centre in Muharraq which is expected to be complete by July 2021.
The GDN reported previously that the centre would consist of seven consultancy clinics, a laboratory, an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) department, a daily care unit, a physiotherapy department and another for manual therapy, in addition to two external and internal pharmacies, a research centre, a lecture hall and medical warehouses.
The BD1.7 million long-stay care unit, located within the Muharraq Medical Complex, will include nursing units for 106 beds, physiotherapy department and specialised consulting clinics, in addition to a laboratory and X-ray centre, a pharmacy, and support services, including medical and administrative offices.
The facility will cover 800 square metres, include 100 beds and will be complimented at the Muharraq Medical Complex by an 85-bed maternity hospital and an elderly care centre.
The proposal was unanimously approved by the Northern Municipal Council and will now be referred to the Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Minister Essam Khalaf for review.
The council also approved another proposal for the allocation of land in the governorate for the construction of a general hospital, which includes a unit for sickle cell anaemia patients, and a research centre, to be named after the late Amir, HH Shaikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa.
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