Apex Medical Group (AMG), the promoter of The Medical City (TMC) project in Salalah, has contracted HMR Consultants to perform an environmental impact assessment study for the project.

AMG, a subsidiary of Saudi-based Aljoaib Holding, is developing a medical city, which will be comprised of a Healthcare Hospital integrated with a regional Multispecialty Organ Transplant and Rehabilitation Center of Excellence, a state of the art Diagnostic and Medical Prevention Center of Excellence, Healthcare Resort and a Healthcare Education Complex.

This regional medical tourism project will be developed in three phases over an area of approximately 800,000 sq m.

One of the major aspects of the TMC project is environmental sustainability. The importance of environmental sustainability is embedded in each phase of the TMC project, from the business model, to the engineering design, to the operation level.

The sustainability goals for the TMC project will be drawn from the One Planet Living program, which is internationally recognized as a framework for addressing sustainability in development projects.

The One Planet Living goals are to achieve or secure carbon reduction, waste reduction, sustainable transport and local and sustainable materials.

Also, AMG has already planned for ecological balance on the natural development site by preserving the Khore eco system, shoreline and Wadis.  TMC project will implement water conversation policy and water reuse process to limit ground water use.

TMC facilities will utilise electricity from Dhofar power network however TMC will build solar energy production facilities.

TMC project components will be designed in accordance with Green Building Council standards to achieve LEED certification.  Apex is planning to develop the first Heath Care project to achieve LEED certificate in MENA region.

The TMC project falls under Group Five “Service Projects –Hospitals and Health Complexes”, and Group Seven “Tourism Development” in the categorization of projects by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Affairs (MECA), Oman.

This classification necessitates that an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) be prepared and submitted to the MECA in order to provide the MECA with an outline of the project, the resulting environmental and social impacts from the project, and the scope and methodology proposed for conducting the EIA Study (an additional MECA requirement).

AMG has contracted HMR Environmental Engineering Consultants (HMR) to conduct the EIA Study to establish the current status of environmental and social features in the project area, delineate the project footprint on the environment, and assess the impacts of the proposed construction and operation phase of the TMC project.

The EIA Study will be submitted to MECA for their review and subsequent issuance of the environmental permit for the TMC Project. – TradeArabia News Service