Kuwait’s Minister of Health Sheikh Dr Basel Humoud Al Sabah has inaugurated The Late Sheikha Salwa Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah Stem Cell and Umbilical Cord Centre.

The 12,000sqm centre was designed by Kuwait-based consultancy SSH and includes an outpatient unit for healthy adult stem cell collection, a self-sufficient cryolab, which stores adult and cord blood stem cells, as well as stem cell research facilities.

The operational organisation of the building was planned jointly by SSH’s medical planning team and specialist advisers, resulting in the development of a unique building that caters to the clients’ specific functional needs, SSH said in a statement.

“This state-of-the-art facility is set to increase capacity for stem cell services, improve turnaround times for processing, as well as offer the potential for research-related activities all while ensuring that any cell products are produced in accordance with the strictest international accreditation standards. SSH is grateful for the client’s trust and confidence in our ability to deliver a project of this stature and we look forward to maintaining a strong business relationship with them in the future,” said Khalil Alonaizi, Resident director – Kuwait, at SSH.

SSH says that the location of departments within the facility is governed by convenient access points and an efficient circulation system that minimises the travel distances of staff, donors, patients, visitors and blood samples.

Beyond delivering supervision consultancy services, SSH notes that it oversaw the output of all architecture, structural, mechanical and electrical engineering, plumbing, quantity surveying, medical planning and medical equipment spatial planning, in addition to interior design documentation for the project.