Sharjah: His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, issued an Emiri decree setting up Sharjah Healthcare City (SHCC) as a free medical zone authority.
As per the decree, the newly established health care city will be a corporate body, enjoying financial and administrative independence with full capacity to carry out its legal practices that are necessary to achieve its objectives.
The location and geographic boundaries of the healthcare city will be determined upon a resolution to be issued later by the Ruler of Sharjah..
It will be managed by an administrative body, called the city administration that will work under the supervision of the Free Medical Zone Authority, and will be run by a board of directors. The new entity will be responsible for promoting the emirate as an international health care centre.
It will have the mandate to set up health care, medical and pharmaceutical companies and institutions, physiotherapy and massage centres, health care consultancy services, hospitals, medical transport services, spas, sports and social clubs, health-related IT institutions, and all health- related facilities.
The city's administration will assume all jurisdictions and duties that are necessary to achieve its goals. It will include setting up the infrastructure and all related amenities, providing administrative support services, and any other services that may contribute to the city's accomplishing of its goals and objectives.
The administration may set up joint or individual projects, such as hospitals, clinics, consultancy centres, medical diagnosis centres, organ transplant units, rehabilitation centres, physiotherapy centres.
The administration will be responsible for issuing licences to hospitals and clinics and any health care facilities wishing to operate within the medical city. It will also set regulations and rules for bodies operating in the city, as well as organising work mechanisms between the city's companies and institutions in cooperation with the competent government bodies.
Agreements
It will also have the right to enter into agreements with other free zones to enable the city's medical and health care institutions to practice activities in these zones.
The administration will provide companies and institutions with medical, administrative and technical staff, and others. It will conclude lease agreements with companies and institutions to enable them to practice their activities as per the prescribed rules and terms.
The Sharjah Executive Council will issue a table of fees for services offered by the city, as well as fines and procedures to be applied to companies and institutions found to be violating bylaws of this decree.
The city will have an annual budget and the fiscal year will begin from January 1 and ending on December 31. All companies, institutions, individuals and staff will be exempted from all kinds of taxes in the emirate, including income tax, regarding their activities for a renewable period of 50 years, or similar periods upon a decision by the Sharjah Executive Council.
Meanwhile, Dr. Shaikh Sultan also has issued a law regulating the objectives, powers and functions of the Department of Suburbs and Villages Affairs in the Emirate of Sharjah. Through a number of councils the department aims to provide a decent standard of living for the citizens as a basic right for every citizen, exploit available possibilities to create housing, educational, social, cultural and health services, and strengthen the bonds of social cohesion and contribute to maintaining security in the community.
