Doha, Qatar                                                                                                                                                                                      26 Dec. 2017                                                                                                                                                                            (Anadolu News)

A group of Turkish soldiers on Tuesday reached a military base in Qatar’s capital Doha, according to Qatar’s Defense Ministry.

The group reached the Al Udeid Air Base in southern Doha, the ministry said in a statement.

The soldiers will join another group which previously arrived at Tariq bin Ziyad military base in the Gulf state.

The move comes as part of a 2014 defense agreement between Doha and Ankara under which Turkey established a base in Qatar at the request of its government.

In April 2016, the two countries concluded a military deal which would see Turkish troops deployed to a military base in the Gulf state.

The first group arrived in Qatar this June and conducted their first drill at Tariq bin Ziyad military base.

With this new group, the countries will have more military drills aimed at strengthening the defense capabilities of both countries.

Gaza, Palestine                                                                                                                                                                                   26 Dec. 2017                                                                                                                                                                              (Anadolu News)

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh on Tuesday said U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital was aimed at “terminating” the Palestinian national cause.

“The recent U.S. decision on Jerusalem is part of ongoing efforts to terminate the Palestinian cause within the context of a so-called ‘deal of the century’," Haniyeh said at a meeting in Gaza City with Palestinian tribal leaders.

On Dec. 6, Trump announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, drawing condemnation and protest from across the Arab and Muslim world.

The controversial U.S. move, Haniyeh said, "has implications for the reconfiguration of the entire region and the [Arab and Muslim] nation… which will come at the expense of Jerusalem and Palestinian rights."

Hamas, he added, had received information of a U.S. plan to offer Palestinian leaders a state with its capital in Abu Dis, a Palestinian village near East Jerusalem.

"The plan involves building a bridge linking Abu Dis to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound [in East Jerusalem] with the ostensible aim of ensuring [Palestinians] access to the mosque," Haniyeh asserted.

He added: "There is also a talk of dividing the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound into three separate parts."

The Hamas leader went on to say there was “movement afoot in the region” aimed at creating a “political entity in the Gaza Strip endowed with certain privileges”. He did not elaborate further.

Jerusalem remains at the heart of the Middle East conflict, with Palestinians hoping that East Jerusalem -- occupied by Israel since 1967 -- might eventually serve as the capital of an independent Palestinian state.

Tunis                                                                                                                                                                                                  26 Dec. 2017                                                                                                                                                                                    (TAP)

Lawyer Dalila Mbarek Mssadak told TAP on Tuesday that three Tunisian women, two doctors and a student decided to file a complaint against the airline of the United Arab Emirates for moral and material injury.

She added that the three Tunisian women, concerned by the Emirati decision to ban Tunisian women boarding flights from the Emirati company, asked her to represent them.

The complaints will be filed in early January, she said, noting being in the process of forming a defense group, consisting of volunteer lawyers, to plead in favour of the plaintiffs in this case.

Dalila Mbarek said that requests will also be sent to the international organisations and UN, in charge of human rights, as well as civil aviation organisations to encourage them to recognize the discriminatory nature of this decision.

Last Friday, the Emirati national airline decided to ban Tunisian female passengers of any age from boarding flights from Tunis without providing any explanation, with the exception of residents in the United Arab Emirates.

Last Friday, Salem Issa Elkattam Zeabi, UAE Ambassador to Tunis was summoned in Ministry of Foreign Affairs,  where he was asked to "provide clarification" on the measure banning Tunisian female passengers from entry to or transit through the UAE, the ministry said in a statement on 22nd of December.

The UAE diplomat said the measure was "temporary and relating to security arrangements,” adding that the restriction was lifted by allowing all the passengers to depart, the ministry said.

Prime Minister Youssef Chahed received the UAE ambassador on Friday afternoon in Dar Dhiafa, Carthage, said a statement from the Prime Ministry posted on its official Facebook page.

Emirates Airline on Friday banned Tunisian female passengers from flying to Dubai on Emirates EK 748 flight departing from Tunis Carthage airport.

This measure concerned all female passengers even those accompanied by their spouses, with the exception of Tunisian residents in the United Arab Emirates. This ban caused disruption at the airport.

The Emirates Airline later allowed the Tunisian female passengers to board the plane bound for Dubai.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation of Tunis under the Ministry of Transport has intervened with the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority to demand the final lifting of this measure.

Khartoum                                                                                                                                                                                         26 Dec 2017                                                                                                                                                                                (Anadolu News)

Turkish Foreign Minister, Mevlut Cavusoglu, speaking from Khartoum on Tuesday, dismissed the possibility of any cooperation deals being signed between Turkey, Iran and Qatar.

Cavusoglu spoke in Sudan as part of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ongoing visit to the region.

At a press conference held with his Sudanese counterpart, Ibrahim Ghandour, Cavusoglu spoke about Turkey's Middle East policy.

Asked about prospects for regional cooperation between Ankara, Tehran and Doha, he said: "There is no Turkey-Iran-Qatar axis."

Turkey does not discriminate between fellow Muslim countries, Cavusoglu said, adding that Ankara had been one of the most vocal critics of Iran’s policy vis-à-vis Syria and Iraq.

"Now we have very warm ties with Sudan. Does that mean there is a Turkey-Sudan ‘axis’?" he asked.

Turkey’s main concern, he said, is to promote unity across the Islamic world, “not to sow sedition between Muslim countries as others have done”.

Ghandour, for his part, reiterated his country’s keenness to maintain Red Sea security, stressing Sudan’s readiness to cooperate with different states of the region in this regard.

He went on to point out that Turkey and Sudan had signed an agreement on Monday pertaining to Red Sea security, which, he asserted, could pave the way for stepped-up military cooperation with Ankara.

“Further military arrangements with Turkey are highly likely,” he said. “We have just signed a military agreement that could lead to greater military cooperation with Turkey in regards to the Red Sea.”

Ghandour also revealed that Sudan had temporarily leased Sudan’s Suakin Island to Turkish investors.

Located on Sudan’s Red Sea coast, Suakin Island is home to numerous Ottoman-era monuments.

During Erdogan’s three-day visit to Sudan, which wrapped up Tuesday, the two countries signed 21 cooperation agreements covering the fields of agriculture, petroleum, industry, health, education and mining, along with military, political and diplomatic relations.

26 Dec 2017                                                                                                                                                                                  (Dawn News)

India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday roundly criticised the meeting between Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav and his family members in Islamabad yesterday — arranged by Pakistan as a goodwill gesture — as an 'exercise that lacked any credibility'.

The meeting had been granted by Pakistan to India 21 months after Jadhav's arrest on "humanitarian grounds" and as a gesture of goodwill on Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah's birthday.

However, "We note with regret that the Pakistani side conducted the meeting in a manner which violated the letter and spirit of our understandings," India complained in a statement hours after Jadhav's wife and mother met officials at the MEA in New Delhi, where they were likely debriefed.

Avanti and Chetankul Jadhav also held a three-hour-long meeting with Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj.

During the trio's meeting — arranged at the Foreign Office in Islamabad — Jadhav had spoken to his wife and mother via an intercom from across a glass screen. Foreign Office officials and Indian High Commissioner JP Singh had monitored the encounter through another glass screen.

The women had made a stop at the Indian High Commission upon their arrival in Islamabad prior to the meeting with Jadhav.

However, India complained on Tuesday that its envoy "was initially separated from family members who were taken to the meeting without informing him."

"The meeting was started without his [Singh's] presence and he could join only after pressing the matter with concerned officials. Even then, he was kept behind an additional partition that did not allow him access to the meeting as agreed," the statement said.

'Intimidating atmosphere'

India also described "the overall atmosphere of the meeting" as "intimidating insofar as family members were concerned."

Despite a "clear agreement that the media would not be allowed close access" to Avanti and Chetankul, "the Pakistani press was allowed on multiple occasions to approach family members closely, harass and hector them and hurl false and motivated accusations about Jadhav," the MEA alleged.

Additionally, the "cultural and religious sensibilities of family members were disregarded under the pretext of security precautions" the MEA complained. "This included removal of mangal sutra, bangles and bindi, as well as a change in attire that was not warranted by security."

Jadhav's mother was also prevented from speaking to him in their mother tongue, the MEA complained. "She was repeatedly interrupted while doing so and eventually prevented from proceeding further in this regard."

Jadhav's wife's shoes were also removed "for some inexplicable reason, despite her repeated requests... not returned to her after the meeting", the MEA claimed, adding: "We would caution against any mischievous intent in this regard."

'Jadhav speaking under coercion'

The MEA also claimed that "from the feedback we have received of the meeting, it appears that Jadhav was under considerable stress and speaking in an atmosphere of coercion."

"Most of his remarks were clearly tutored and designed to perpetuate the false narrative of his alleged activities in Pakistan. His appearance also raises questions of his health and well being," the statement read.

"The manner in which the meeting was conducted and its aftermath was clearly an attempt to bolster a false and unsubstantiated narrative of Jadhav’s alleged activities," the MEA said.

"You would all agree that this exercise lacked any credibility."

The Foreign Office on Monday, in a press briefing after the meeting, had played a pre-recorded video message from Jadhav thanking the Pakistani government for permitting the meeting. It also included a confession from him for his involvement in espionage.

The FO also issued medical reports that showed Jadhav is in good health, and asserted that it was not the Indian spy's last meeting with his family.

In Indian held Kashmir, three Kashmiri Muslims were shot dead today by the Indian forces.

Indian forces shot dead two suspected rebels in India-held Kashmir in clashes that also killed a young woman, police said Tuesday, as the deadliest year of the decade in the disputed territory draws to a close. Some witnesses claimed the woman was killed by police during the demonstrations, not in crossfire, though this could not be independently verified.

At least 210 suspected militants have been killed this year — the most since 2010 — amid a military campaign to rout armed groups resisting Indian rule in the divided Himalayan region.

In addition, 57 civilians and 78 security personnel have also lost their lives in violence across the conflict-wracked valley, according to police officials and watchdogs.

Islamabad                                                                                                                                                                                         26 Dec 2017                                                                                                                                                                                (Dawn News)

The high-powered National Implementation Committee (NIC) on Fata Reforms has endorsed the merger of tribal regions with northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhawa and agreed that Islamabad would make a policy statement in this regard, two senior figures involved in the deliberations confirmed to Dawn.

The NIC, which met last week and was chaired by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, also decided and agreed to let Fata elect 23 members to the KP Assembly in the general elections scheduled to be held in July 2018.

Besides Mr Abbasi the meeting was attended by Chief of the Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, federal Minister for States & Frontier Regions retired Lt Gen Abdul Qadir Baloch, KP Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, chairman of the Cabinet Committee on Fata Reforms Sartaj Aziz and the federal law secretary, who deputised for special assistant to the prime minister on law, Barrister Zafarullah Khan.

The meeting which took the landmark decisions on Dec 18, but did not make them public, also decided to do away with the controversial sections of the Frontier Crimes Regulations and allow the colonial-era regulation to continue as a supplementary dispute and conflict resolution mechanism with a sunset clause to repeal it in its entirety once a proper judicial system was in place in the tribal region.

Significantly enough, neither was the meeting publicised nor any statement issued at the end of it. However, three days later, on Dec 21, Prime Minister Abbasi, in an apparent follow-up to the meeting, met former prime minister Nawaz Sharif at his Jati Umra residence in Lahore.

PM Abbasi and Gen Bajwa had met the JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman in the prime minister’s chambers at the Parliament House to discuss Fata reforms and attempt to persuade him to drop his opposition to the proposed merger plan.

No statement was issued from the Prime Minister House but the JUI-F leader would say only that consultations would continue over the matter.

His party and Mehmood Khan Achakzai’s Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party are the only two political parties opposed to Fata’s proposed merger with KP.

Both are political allies of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, but it is only the JUI-F leader whose opposition to the merger plan is weighing heavy on the mind of former prime minister Sharif.

Media reports only said the two leaders agreed to address the reservations of the JUI-F chief on the Fata Reforms Bill.

Those Dawn has spoken with say Mr Abbasi was supposed to make a public policy statement regarding Fata’s merger with KP to remove any ambiguity in terms of mainstreaming of the tribal region but that the announcement is being withheld to enable the ruling political leadership to persuade the JUI-F chief to drop his opposition.

Efforts by PM Abbasi and Gen Bajwa to bring Maulana Fazl on board have not made any headway.

Those familiar with the deliberations say that any development on the merger plan and giving Fata representation in the KP Assembly in 2018 is directly linked with getting the JUI-F chief to agree to the Fata Reforms Bill.

The bill seeks to extend the jurisdiction of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) and the Supreme Court of Pakistan to the tribal regions. “This is directly linked with the other two issues”, one senior figure said.

Ruling party figures remain optimistic that the wily politician from Dera Ismail Khan can be persuaded to support the merger plan. “He has toned down his rhetoric”, said the other figure.

However, Maulana Rehman has let it be known that he would never agree to the extension of the PHC to Fata, which by its very implication would mean Fata’s merger with KP.

“How can the jurisdiction of the provincial high court be extended to federal areas?” he told reporters after his meeting with the civil-military leadership last week.

Unity of command

Another key decision was to combine the office of the Fata’s additional chief secretary with the proposed chief operating officer, Fata, to allow for unity of command.

But while the JUI-I chief continues to stick to his opposition and a clueless federal government remains reluctant to follow-through on its decision to make a policy statement, the government in KP and the 11th Corps in Peshawar has nearly finalised an implementation plan.

Dawn has a copy of the 99-page draft plan but a security official in Peshawar said its final version was ready and would be shared with the GHQ in the next few days after necessary tweaking.

The plan that has been firmed up through due consultation between the KP government and the 11 Corps, being the major stakeholders in the light of the cabinet decisions on Fata reforms, provides for the full embrace of Fata with KP by addressing the many legislative and constitutional issues involving the merger and the judicial, administrative, security and development systems required to be put in place with timeline and the resources needed to implement the full spectrum of the reform package.

“Let there be no ambiguity of the direction that Fata is going to go into”, the security official said in a background interview. “The direction should be clear and it should take us toward merger.”

“There must not be any confusion”, he said. “This nation and its armed forces have paid unparalleled and unprecedented sacrifices for Fata and any delay could pose risks to the gains we have achieved.”

“It would be naïve to think that only the passage of a reform bill would bring about a change in Fata. It needs a clear plan with bench marks and timeframe with matching investment to improve the socio-economic condition of its people”, the official said.

However, there has been no forward movement on getting the resources to finance the reform plan.

An NIC meeting chaired by PM Abbasi in October had directed the finance minister “to seek, as a matter of priority, endorsement of the National Finance Commission to the proposal to allocate a share from the divisible pool for Fata the next 10 years.”

But despite the fact that ruling parties in all the four provinces — the PML-N, the PPP and the PTI, besides the federal government — which have publicly endorsed the reform plan, there has been no progress on bringing about a consensus on allocation of three percent of the National Finance Commission Award to fund it.

“Any delay in implementing the plan for the sake of political expediency would be a disservice to the people of Fata in particular and Pakistan in general”, the official said.

Doha                                                                                                                                                                                                      24 Dec 2017                                                                                                                                                                              (QNA)

Al-Raya Qatari newspaper said that Saudi Arabia and the UAE are suffering from severe economic crises due to failed policies, systematic economic planning, lack of surveillance, lavish government spending and corruption.

Al-Raya said that depletion of resources by the highest powers of the two countries and their exhausted economy prompted them to announce the implementation of the so-called Value Added Tax (VAT) as of early January.

The paper added in an article by its Editor in Chief that Saudi Arabia and UAE citizens and residents in the two countries are constantly complaining of low wages, rising prices and withholding bonuses and promotions, and are surprised by the greed of the authorities that impose more taxes at this particular time when they go through miserable economic and living conditions.

It pointed out that Saudi Arabia and the UAE are oil-exporting countries, and Riyadh in particular is one of OPEC's largest oil exporters, but unfortunately, its economy is deteriorating, especially recently due to mismanagement, poor economic planning and weak financial policies.

The economic situation in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi has shown weakness, rising costs of services and commodities, especially food consumption, low productivity, losses in the real estate market, calls for austerity, foreign capital flight and the escape of national investments for fear of arrests, confiscations, and compromises that affect princes, businessmen and investors and force them to choose between waiving part of their wealth or arrest.

Al-Raya expressed its regret for the economic shock in two of the richest countries in the world, adding that despite these conditions, adventures and bragging continue to achieve grow at a time when people are hearing about the hollow assurances of building tourist towns and opening cinemas, while ports and economic markets are deteriorating and major oil companies are being privatized and sold.

The two countries, the paper said, publicly abandon our Islamic and Gulf values and raise the banner of normalization with the Israeli enemy at the expense of the principles, sanctities and central issues of the nation.

The daily said that observers of the economic conditions in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi and reports of specialized international institutions, funds and banks excluded the return to the right path in light of the economic and financial chaos experienced by the two countries and the political, security and social crises, as the value of public debt in Saudi Arabia reached more than $100 billion.

Al-Raya concluded that the Gulf crisis triggered by Riyadh and Abu Dhabi has cost them a lot economically, which means that the two countries are likely to be aggravated by a severe economic crisis, resulting in social crises and popular unpopularity.

Doha                                                                                                                                                                                                    25 Dec 2017                                                                                                                                                                                        (Barwa News)

'Barwa Real Estate Company' has signed a leasing contract with the Ministry of Municipality and the Environment for the rental of two plots of land with a total area of 1,179,114 square meters on Salwa road to develop new labor city project.

Present on the occasion were Dr. Issa bin Saad Al-Jafali Al Nuaimi, Minister of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs, Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Rumaihi, Minister of Municipality and Environment, Salman Bin Mohammed Al Mohannadi, Group Chief Executive Officer, Barwa and Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalid Al Thani, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Insha, officials and representatives of various concerned institutions.

The signing ceremony, held at Millennium Plaza Hotel in Barwa Towers, AlSadd area.

The new project will be the second labor city to be developed by Barwa Real Estate after the workers' accommodation - Barwa Al Baraha which is located in the Industrial Area. It consists of 64 buildings, accommodating 50,000 workers and technicians and provide all the recreational and health services for its residents.

This is in addition to Al Khor Workers Sports Complex in Al Khor area which includes all facilities and sports services for workers. These projects demonstrate Barwa's keenness on introducing community initiatives that serve the labor sector, to which Barwa pays a great deal of attention.

Occupying an overall area of 994,567 square meters on Salwa Road, the project includes the construction of 3,170 residential houses, each comprising of 8 rooms, 8 bathrooms, and a kitchen, in addition to retail shops and masajid with a total building area of 730,728 square meters. Moreover, the construction will include all the infrastructure works consisting of 25 power substations, internal roads, and potable water, fire, irrigation and sewage networks as well as surveillance cameras.

An adjacent land plot of 183,538 square meters was allocated as parking lots for buses, in order to reduce traffic congestion within residential areas.

The project comes as part of the Qatari government’s efforts to improve the housing standards of workers in Qatar and meet the needs of the local market in line with the objectives of the Qatar National Vision 2030 and Qatar's preparations for hosting the 2022 World Cup, through developing a sustainable residential environment in terms of quality and security and providing all required services and facilities.

Dr. Issa bin Saad Al Jafali Al Nuaimi, Minister of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs stressed the importance of these types of projects that serve the State's plans to implement development projects that meet the needs of the labor sector. Such projects demonstrate that the State of Qatar spares no effort to provide all means of improving the living conditions of the expatriate workers. 

He added that the State of Qatar is a model for providing all means for the workforce to coexist with their different religions and cultures. Dr. Al-Nuaimi said that the Ministry of Administrative Development and Labor has embarked on a new and comprehensive program to improve the housing standards of workers through the construction of modern housing in line with international standards and the Qatar National Vision 2030 as well as providing health care facilities.

He also commended Barwa Real Estate's awareness of its role and  contribution to the implementation of various developmental projects. He expressed his hope that more developers will be able to implement such projects to serve the expatriate workforce.

The project was designed to ensure the privacy of the city's residents unlike the existing workers' houses in the unplanned areas. It includes a private courtyard for each house, allowing its residents to enjoy the outdoor activity while ensuring their privacy. The traditional Arab style of the project’s houses is compatible with the surrounding environmental conditions. Such designs help improve the living conditions of the workers, ensuring a healthy environment and providing all amenities, while taking into account the diversity of their nationalities and cultures.

Salman Bin Mohammed Al Mohannadi, Chief Executive Officer of Barwa Real Estate Group, expressed his pleasure with signing the construction contract of the new labor city, demonstrating Barwa’s commitment to contributing to the country's plans to provide housing for workers, that take into consideration the balance between sustainability and the provision of all facilities and services, complying with international standards.

Al-Mohannadi reiterated the Group’s commitment to its vital role in supporting development projects, serving the overall urban expansion of the country and effectively helping in implementing the Qatar National Vision 2030 that aims to achieve the welfare of the country and the citizen. Al Mohannadi also confirmed Barwa’s keenness on fulfilling the completion of the project with the highest standards.

 

 

Doha                                                                                                                                                                                                  20 Dec 2017                                                                                                                                                                                  (QatarGas)

Qatargas Operating Company Limited (Qatargas) recently announced the signing of a new Sale and Purchase Agreement (SPA) with OMV Gas Marketing & Trading GmbH (OMV). Under the terms of the agreement, Qatargas will deliver up to 1.1 million tonnes of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) per annum to the Austrian company for five years.

Commenting on this occasion, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, President and Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Petroleum, and Chairman of the Qatargas Board of Directors, said: “We are very pleased to announce this new deal with OMV – an international, integrated oil and gas company operating from the heart of Europe. OMV provides major European customers and distributors with tailored natural gas solutions, and we look forward to supplying them with reliable Qatari LNG.”

Al-Kaabi added: “With this deal, Qatargas has once again demonstrated its ability to capture new opportunities and expand its network of customers in an evolving market.”

Commenting on the new SPA, Sheikh Khalid Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Chief Executive Officer, Qatargas, said: “Qatargas is delighted to conclude this new SPA with OMV, and welcome another leading company to our client portfolio. This new deal is testament to our proven ability to supply reliable clean energy to customers in Europe, and to our customers all over the world. Qatargas’ reliability and flexibility are just two of the reasons why we are known as the World’s Premier LNG Company.”

Manfred Leitner, OMV Executive Board member responsible for Downstream, said: “The agreement is in line with OMV’s gas strategy to ensure security of supply for Europe and it supports our efforts to employ our LNG infrastructure including the GATE terminal in Rotterdam. This milestone follows on years of a successful business relationship and we are pleased to now add Qatargas as one of our long-term suppliers of LNG.”

Commencing in January 2019, the SPA provides for the supply of LNG from Qatar Liquefied Gas Company Limited (4) (“Qatargas 4”), a joint venture between Qatar Petroleum (70%) and Shell (30%).  The LNG will be delivered to the Gate LNG Terminal in the Netherlands on board Qatargas’ chartered LNG vessels.

Doha                                                                                                                                                                                                      24 Dec 2017

Recently inaugurated three new hospitals in Medical City, Doha by Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad AlThani have in-house state of the art  kitchen and catering facilities for in-house patients.  Catering Department of Hamad Medical Corporation hospitals enjoys a high regards from patients and their visitors because of  the food high standards, variety of food items, serving portions and quality of service.

Reem Al Saadi, Director of Dietetics and Nutrition Department, Hamad Medical Corporation told to visiting members of media about the food facilities that 'new premises are considered to be equipped with the biggest healthcare kitchen in the region with the capacity to provide patients with up to 4,000 healthy and nutritious meals every day. She said that 'A kitchen this size is a very complex operation and we cater to more than 65 different diets at any given time. This includes patients with swallowing issues and those with specific macro or micronutrient requirements. We know that nutritious meals play a role in the healing and recovery process and while patients are in hospital, diet is a priority and can govern how quickly a patient recovers. Every meal has to go through a strict process and is planned with dietitians according to the individual needs of the patient.”

She said Menus are balanced to ensure that there is variety and that a day’s complete menu over breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks delivers the nutrition and calories needed to meet the health requirements of patients. Much planning goes into each dish, which is tested several times and assessed by dietitians before being added to the menu. The most popular dish among patients is chicken biriyani with raita salad, she told.

Miss AlSaadi said 'Meals in the kitchen of the new Medical City Hospitals are planned and prepared by an extensive team of more than 300 staff, including dietitians, quality controllers, chefs, and stewards, each of whom is involved in different stages of the food preparation process. This process includes everything from the ordering and delivery of the raw ingredients to the preparation and serving of the meals, and finally the meticulous clearing and cleaning process.

The kitchen is in fact so large and complex that more than 150 staff are employed just to clean and ensure hygiene standards are met. The dedicated loading dock and temperature-controlled storage facilities see dozens of deliveries of fresh food and produce each day.

Commenting on the design and scale of the kitchen, Ms. Al Saadi added: “The kitchen was designed with maximum efficiency and to best meet the nutritional needs of our patients. It has separate streams (sections) for chicken, fish, bakery, and dairy items, as well as for processing, receiving, thawing, and sending out meals. It is also equipped with 27 cold and freezer rooms to store food and is fitted with the most technically-advanced food-processing equipment, including machines that can peel and chop vegetables as well as cook bulk quantities of various foods.

The facilities are equipped with the most technically-advanced food-processing equipment, including machines that can peel and chop vegetables as well as cook bulk quantities of various foods. It enables the cleaning, washing and disinfecting of thousands of plates and pieces of cutlery, and has a master corridor that links the kitchen to the hospital facilities which is 800 meters long (two laps of an Olympic track).

According to her, the kitchen facility is specially designed with zero tolerance for any possibility of cross-contamination of food during various stages of its preparation by the team of trained staff that numbers over 300 personnel consisting of dietitians, chefs, and stewards each of whom is involved in different stages of the food preparation process as well as 150 staff employed to clean and ensure that the hygiene standards are met.

"The menus are balanced to ensure that there is variety and that a day's complete menu over breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks delivers the nutrition and calories needed to meet the health requirements of patients. Much planning goes into each dish, which is tested several times and assessed by dietitians before being added to the menu. The most popular dish among patients is chicken biryani with raita salad," Saadi added.

Ferlyn Dias, Executive Chef, Catering Department at Hamad Medical Corporation explained on a question from a media member about kitchen operation, he said ' State-of-the-art kitchen is designed in such a way that has separate independent sections from assembly lines to handle different food items such as chicken, fish, bakery, and dairy items and also for processing, receiving, thawing, and sending out meals for delivery to the patients'.

Chef Dias told that 'Once the food is ready to serve to the patients, it is transported to wards through special temperature controlled electro-calorific trolleys. These special trolleys are capable to maintain the temperature of different food items according to the required temperature for  1 1/2 hour to two hours during which it is served to the patients'.