Kuwait’s Health Ministry has extended the tender closing date for the KD110m ($385m) contract to build an annex to Al-Sabah hospital in Kuwait.

MEED had earlier reported that the deadline for submitting bids for the project was 13 August, but this has now been extended to 29 September, according to Kuwait’s Central Tender’s Committee website.

The package includes the construction, equipment, and maintenance of a 600-bed medical tower as part of an extension to the existing Al-Sabah hospital. The contractor will need to build operating rooms, a radiology centre, a helipad and associated facilities. A total of 24 firms have been prequalified to bid on the project.

Earlier this year, the ministry extended the tender closing date for a $910m contract to build the new Jahra Hospital. The package includes the construction of a 1,157-bed hospital and related facilities.

In June, a joint venture of Metallurgical Corporation of China and local Al-Tawbad General Trading and Contracting Company submitted a low bid of $184m for a contract to build the Infectious Diseases Hospital in the Al-Asimah governorate in Kuwait.

Kuwait’s Health Ministry is planning to build expand new hospitals in Kuwait City to improve the provision of public health services in the country. The expansions will add 5,000 beds to the current capacity of the state’s hospitals.