UAE’s Zulekha Hospital Sharjah has become the first in the Middle East to achieve the highest rating in one of the leading green building certification programmes used globally.

The hospital has been certified at Platinum level under the US Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance (Leed Ebom) rating system, awarded for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of green buildings.

Taher Shams, managing director of Zulekha Hospitals, said: “Becoming the first healthcare organisation awarded Platinum Leed certificate in the Middle East is a testimony to our long-term commitment to being an environmentally conscious and responsible business.

“We are very proud to be recognised by the US Green Building Council and we’ll continue to focus on our patients’ safety and well-being by ensuring exceptional healthcare service quality while protecting our environment in a pro-active manner.”

To earn the Leed certification, organisations have to comply with numerous pre-requisites and score credit points in seven green categories, including sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, innovation in operations and regional priority credits. Only three US hospitals have achieved Platinum certification to date.

Shams added: “We made an initial survey during the construction phase of the building and numerous innovative sustainable features were integrated into the facility to create a highly sustainable building that reflects our commitment to the environment.”

Upon its completion in 2012, Zulekha Hospital Sharjah received the Best Sustainable Green Building Design award, followed by the Best Sustainable Hospital Award from the Hospital Build & Infrastructure Awards a year later.

In 2013 the hospital became a member of the Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (Sewa) Energy Team, which is dedicated to smart practices in management of electricity and water, and published a Global Reporting Initiative report about its CSR programme, becoming as one of the first few organisations in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region to do so.

Zanubia Shams, co-chairperson of Zulekha Hospitals, said: “We’d also like to thank Sharjah government officials, in particular from Sharjah Government Directorate of Town Planning and Survey and Sewa, as their ongoing support since the inception of Zulekha Hospital Sharjah has greatly contributed to our achievement in providing the community with sustainable healthcare.”

In 2015, Zulekha Hospital Sharjah received the ISO 14001 certification, an environmental management system accreditation, awarded to organisations with environmental objectives at the core of their business strategies.

Zulekha Hospital Sharjah is a full-fledged, multi-disciplinary hospital and diagnostic centre with out-patient and in-patient facilities. What started off as a 30-bed set-up with basic facilities for gynaecology, obstetrics, surgery, medicine and paediatrics in 1992, today boasts services across 32 disciplines and 150 in-patient beds.  

Spread over an area of 240,000 sq ft, Zulekha Hospital Sharjah has more than 1,800 personnel, including 300 qualified doctors, staff nurses and a host of paramedical staff.  

The Cardiac Care, Intensive Care, Neo-Natal Intensive Care and Burn Units all include super speciality beds. Last month the hospital opened a new $4-million wing adding another 31 in-patient rooms and taking the total number of beds available to 150. – TradeArabia News Service