Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha) is evaluating bids form contractors for the contract to build Sheikh Khalifa Medical City on Abu Dhabi Island.

The planned hospital will cover a total area of 278,709 square metres and will combine general hospital facilities with a trauma centre, and women’s and paediatric centres, with a total of 838 beds. The central area of the proposed medical campus will house restaurants, and retail and education spaces. Construction work on the scheme is scheduled to start in 2013.

US-based Skidmore, Owings & Merrill is the appointed architect for the project.

The project will add to other healthcare facilities on the island, which comprise Sheikh Khalifa Medical City. It was created in 2005, following the merger of all publicly held healthcare organisations on Abu Dhabi Island. In 2007, it came under the management of US-based Cleveland Clinic.

Seha is also preparing to award the contract to build a new hospital in Al-Ain.

That contract involves building a 688-bed hospital. It will cover 358,000 sq m, with underground parking for 1,500 cars. The design has been prepared by a joint venture of Switzerland’s ICME Healthcare, Germany’s Faust Consult Architects & Engineers and Obermeyer Engineering Consulting, also from Germany.

US-based Allen & Shariff Corporation is project manager.

Seha first tendered Al-Ain hospital in 2010 and had selected the joint venture of the local Al-Shafar General Contracting and the local National Projects Construction (NPC) with Japan’s Shimizu Corporation for the works.