Amal Al-Sibai
Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH — The International Medical Center in Jeddah (IMC) was recently awarded the honors of having the “Best Healing Environment in the Middle East” during the 2012 Hospital Build Conference in Dubai.
Given the continuous development of healthcare infrastructure in the region, this event is considered one of the most significant ones in the Middle East and in the world.
“All praise is due to Allah,” said Dr. Walid Fitaihi, chairman and CEO of IMC, while receiving the award on behalf of the hospital.
“This award is a testament to all the years of hard work and thought that went into planning every minute detail in creating the IMC within a design that combines the highest global standards and allows the administrative side to correspond with the functional side. We consulted more than 80 experts of diverse specialties from all around the world to gain the fruitful result of this blessed collaboration between the doctor and the architect; medicine and Islamic architecture,” he said.
Five categories of awards were given to the winning hospitals in recognition of their architectural design: Best Hospital Design Award, Best Physical Environment Award, Best Sustainable Hospital Project Award, Best Healing Environment Award and Best Technology Initiative Award. IMC was the only private hospital to win any of these awards.
Awarding IMC for the Best Healing Environment prize comes as a real acknowledgement of its exceptional implementation of the healing by design concept that encompasses all possible healing factors such as natural lighting in all the patients rooms, surrounding greenery to create a healthy environment, and most importantly, showing absolute respect of the privacy and dignity of all patients during their healing journey.
Verses of the Qur’an that inspire hope in recovery and promote relaxation and healing are engraved on walls and archways throughout the hospital.
Last year IMC was also the recipient of the Makkah Prize for Distinguished Architecture and Best Hospital Design in the Middle East. These awards also celebrated its successful realization of the healing by design concept which has become an integral component to modern healthcare.
