The Algerian government has allocated around USD 5.44 billion in 2015 for the health sector as part of plans to build 10 new hospitals and renovate existing hospitals, said Abdelmalek Boudiaf, minister of health, population and hospital reform.
“Work has already started on five hospitals and the government is expected to announce a tender before the end of 2015 for the selection of international companies that will construct the other five hospitals,” he told Zawya.
The minister said the 10 hospitals are scheduled for delivery by 2019 and that the National Agency for Healthcare Equipment and Management of Health Infrastructures would coordinate with the winning bidders to ensure timely delivery of projects.
“The Algerian government did not consider local companies for these huge hospital projects because they do not have enough experience in executing projects to international standards,” health ministry spokesman Salim Belkassam told Zawya.
He said five foreign companies had won the bids for the five university hospitals for which work is already underway, including Italian group Rizzani De-Eccher/Hôpital San Rafael, which won the bid for the 700-bed Satawali municipal hospital in Algiers, and United Kingdom’s International Hospital Group, which won the tender for the 500-bed hospital in Tlemcen.
Algeria currently has 570 government health facilities with a combined capacity of 67,000 beds, according to Belkassam. The new hospitals will add 5,200 beds.
“During the five year plan, covering 2015-2019, the Algerian government plans to invest in human resources by creating 58,000 job opportunities in the healthcare sector. This will comprise employments for nurses, doctors and healthcare assistants,” he said.
The health minister said the government would maintain planned expenditure on these projects despite the drop in oil prices. He said the ministry could cut costs by reducing the budget for imported medicine to USD 1.5 billion from more than USD 2 billion now.
© Zawya 2015
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