Al-Hasa

The Czech mechanical engineer, the Canadian architect and the British medical equipment guy. The usual lunchtime banter at the site mess-hall at Al-Hasa (winter 98/99).

The Consultant's team assembled for fire extinguisher drill at site. Al-Hasa 1997.

The Desert Kingdom

The small town of Mahasen, where Geoff lived for six years during the SANG project at Al-Hasa (2003). There was some great jogging to be done in the hills over in the distance!

6 kms from here (straight ahead) to the site at Al-Hasa (2003).

Dik

Dik Arendsen hard at work in the old SANG project offices in Riyadh (1999).

This is how the departmental schemes were worked up. Not a CAD work-station in sight!

A Fine Vehicle For The Sites

Geoff's trusty old 1979 GMC outside the Olaya Palace Hotel in Riyadh during a period at SANG (1999).

Khurais, a desert town half-way between Hofuf and Riyadh, where Geoff managed to find the transfer gearbox casting he needed for his truck (April 1999).

ACET

The ACET "offices" (...shed, more like) at Al-Khobar in 1988. The work was the infamous Group-C G-100 Hospitals Project (at Khafji, Rafha and Domat Al-Jundal), which were finally completed in 2004!

AFH Oman

The Armed Forces Hospital in Oman (1985). Geoff's little brown Mazda 323 is in front of the site office at the right.

How it used to be done:- Peter Shephard crossing off the list at the Armed Forces Hospital in Oman (1985).

The Medical Equipment Specialist

During the 1970's and 80's there was a boom in hospital construction in the oil-rich countries of the Middle East. This was especially the case in Saudi Arabia, where modern healthcare services were to be brought to a population thinly scattered over a large area.

Local firms of architects and engineers were engaged as consultants to check the designs and supervise the work on behalf of clients, who were usually government agencies such as the Ministry of Health. In those early days, it was required that local Architectural and Engineering firms were to be in joint venture with international ones.

These local firms employed engineers and inspectors from the traditional trade disciplines (civil, electrical, mechanical etc.), and also a "Medical Equipment Specialist" to take care of the hospital equipment side of things.

The terms "Hospital Equipment Project Engineer" and "Equipment Inspector" are probably more accurate, but "Medical Equipment Specialist" prevailed. It is almost as much of a misnomer as "Biomedical Engineer"!

The following, taken from a job advertisement, gives a good idea of what it was all about:-

"Medical Equipment Specialist. A qualified engineer or equivalent who can supervise contractors and sub-contractors who will be installing all the medical equipment and services into a ... bed hospital in ... . Initially, the successful candidate will review the contractor's and sub-contractors' submittals including equipment specifications, redesigns and drawings. Later on the candidate will supervise installation and witness commissioning tests on behalf of the client at site".

Whatever he is called, such an engineer is part:-

Architect
Biomedical Engineer
Computer Programmer
Computer User
Designer
Electrical Engineer
Hospital Design Engineer
Inspector - all disciplines!
Mechanical Engineer
Medical Planner
Quantity Surveyor
Planning Engineer

A "Jack of all trades" perhaps, with "A little bit of knowledge ... "!!

Knowledge Needed

Kitchens (enough to be able to design {"lay-out" individual pieces of equipment} on 1:50 floor plan and calculate equipment sizes, capacities and quantities).

Laundries (enough to be able to design {"lay-out" individual pieces of equipment} on 1:50 floor plan and calculate equipment sizes, capacities and quantities).

Skills Needed

Drawing
Specification writing

Themes and Concepts

1) The Hospital as a System
2) ...

Work Carried Out

Reviews
Inspections

Group 5 G-100 Hospitals

The G-100 hospital up in the Asir mountains at Ballasmar during construction in 1984. Built by FEAL-IBS, as so many of them were. I went back there to do some equipment maintenance seven years later, and was pleased to find it still in good condition. Even the site offices were still there!

Another one from Ballasmar (1984). Terry Hackler, Frank Acari, Phil Hackler and Geoff Hannis. Frank was still in his pajamas as it was a Friday morning (he didn't normally dress like that)!

The G-100 hospital at Al-Namas, about 40 minutes drive from Ballasmar. I loved that place!