NEWS l Health Sector

[Ahmad Rashid Ahmad]

Riyadh to have proton therapy center

The Kingdom is to install the first ever center for proton therapy at King Fahd Medical City (KFMC) in Riyadh. An agreement for the installation of the proton unit was signed on Sunday with a local company with foreign partners.

Proton therapy is an advanced form of radiation therapy that is currently available at a limited number of centers worldwide.

Chief Executive Officer of KFMC Dr. Abdullah Al-Amro signed the agreement under the direct supervision of Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah with representatives of participating local and foreign companies and from the Ministry of Health.

Speaking to Arab News, Dr. Mushabbad Al-Asiri, head of the Oncology Department at KFMC, said this is the first such center in the Middle East and second in Asia after Japan.

“The cost of the plant and its operation and maintenance is so expensive that some countries cannot afford to implement this facility despite its proven usefulness,” Al-Asiri said.

The oncologist explained the premises of KFMC will be rented for the private sector company to install the proton therapy machine and the company has to pay a monthly rent for its tenancy inside the complex. The Health Ministry will bear the treatment costs for its patients treated at the center.

“It is like a lease agreement with a private sector company,” Al-Asiri said, adding that the ministry will take over the center after 20 years.

Al-Asiri said at present patients have to be sent to the United States for such treatment and it is very costly.

Proton therapy is more effective than conventional radiation therapy as it significantly reduces normal tissue exposure to excess radiation.

There is potential to reduce side effects and improve overall outcome. For some tumors, higher doses of radiation may be delivered with protons and there is also the potential to improve combination treatment with other therapies, such as chemotherapy, which can be difficult with conventional radiation therapy.

Al-Asiri said the therapy is much safer as the radiation beams can target affected tissues with greater precision.

Al-Amro said the project is a good example of an ideal private sector partnership with the ministry where the government is implementing an expensive facility without having to spend money.

[Ahmad Rashid Ahmad]

SGH marks 23 years of community service

A large number of residents including members of the expatriate community participated in Saudi German Hospitals Group’s 23rd anniversary here. Saudi Arabia’s generous assistance to the group was acknowledged at the anniversary celebration.

“The Kingdom supported the group with SR400 million,” group President Sobhi Batterjee said. The group’s hospitals across the Kingdom and overseas have been offering health care of the best international standards since its launch in 1988. “And many people, both Saudis and expatriates, are benefiting from our health care services,” he added.

Several prominent officials and heads of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB), members of the consular corps, insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies, as well as training institutes attended the event at Park Hyatt Jeddah. Both Batterjee and his son Makarem reviewed the group’s history and outlined its mission and vision.

Batterjee emphasized that the group lays much emphasis on medical education and has established Batterjee Medical College, which he described as the biggest private medical university in the Middle East. The first batch of students studying physiotherapy has already graduated. The group aims to operate a total of 30 hospitals across the Middle East, offering 50,000 jobs by 2015.

Aside from hospitals, the group is involved in medical education and many other activities for the community in Madinah, Riyadh, Jeddah, Asir and Hail as well as in Yemen, Dubai and Egypt.

[Ahmad Rashid Ahmad]

SR1.4bn contracts signed to improve health care

As part of the SR16 billion budget allocated for the health sector by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah signed five contracts worth more than SR1.4 billion on Saturday.

The contracted projects include the first stage of the King Faisal Medical City in the southern province.

Following the signing ceremony, Al-Rabeeah thanked King Abdullah for paying excellent attention to the health sector.

He said the health care provided by the Kingdom clearly demonstrates the vision of the king, who is keen on providing equal health opportunities for people living in all parts of the Kingdom.

The King Faisal Medical City will be built on an area of 262,836 square meters. It comprises a specialized hospital, eye hospital, cardiac and neuroscience hospitals with a total of 1,350 beds. It will also have 200 housing units and 200 independent apartments for its staff.

The contract for the construction of the first stage of the King Faisal Medical City with a capacity of 500 beds at a cost of SR642 million, was signed by the minister with Al-Fawzan Trading and Contracting Company. The contract period is for three years.

The minister also signed another contract for the construction of a 15-floor tower at a cost of SR448 million with Al-Rashed Contracting Company to be completed within a period of three years.

Musad Al-Otaibi Contracting Company signed a SR252 million contract for a children and maternity hospital with a capacity of 300 beds in Sakaka in Al-Jouf.

The minister signed two more contracts for the installation of generators and elevators in several Ministry of Health facilities throughout the Kingdom. The minister signed the contracts with Al-Baeez Contracting Company and Al-Khareef Company for SR108 million and SR25 million respectively to be fixed within a period of nine months.

In early January, the ministry signed more than SR3 billion worth of contracts with 30 private sector companies for health projects. They included the construction of hospitals, supply of pharmaceutical products and equipment, biomedical engineering projects, hospital supplies and furnishing of newly built hospitals throughout the Kingdom.

The contracted projects included the construction of a 300-bed hospital in Hail and another hospital in Abqaiq with a capacity of 100 beds. Contracts were also signed to establish new and furnish existing medical warehouses of the ministry that are located in different parts of the Kingdom.

Besides updating the ministry's laboratories located in various regions, the contracts were also signed for the supply of CT scan machines, pharmaceutical products and medical apparatus needed for some hospitals and primary health care centers in the Kingdom.

The Kingdom has an integrated health care system that covers both its citizens and expatriates in the country. The Ministry of Health under the leadership of Al-Rabeeah is a major player entrusted with the provision of preventive, curative and rehabilitative health care for the Kingdom’s population. It provides primary health care services through a network of 2,000 primary health care centers.

The ministry is considered the lead government agency responsible for the management, planning, financing and regulating of the health care sector. The ministry also undertakes the overall supervision and follow-up of health care related activities carried out by the private sector.

[Ahmad Rashid Ahmad]

Hail to have SR1.5 billion new health projects

Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah will launch new health projects worth SR1.5 billion in Hail Province on Saturday.

In a statement, the minister thanked Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for his generous support to the health sector.

He said the new health projects in Hail would bring about qualitative improvement in health services in the region.

The new projects include the establishment of a 300-bed general hospital at a cost of SR260 million and another 300-bed hospital southwest of Hail at a cost of SR280 million.

The minister will also open 16 health centers and lay the foundations for 18 others. He will also launch a heart center and a 40-bed kidney center.

“These projects are implemented as a result of the unlimited support of the government and they will have a big impact on improving services,” Al-Rabeeah said.

He reiterated the ministry’s determination to develop health services across the country.

“The ministry has embarked on a major program to develop health facilities and programs in order to win the satisfaction of patients,” he said.

“We have also introduced a number of innovative programs for the benefit of patients and realize the slogan of ‘Patients First’,” he said.

The ministry is moving forward with a well-defined strategy. “We have drawn up the strategy, which is based on a nationwide comprehensive health care plan, for the next 10 years,” he added.

This strategy aims to realize the fundamentals of justice, comprehensiveness, integration, and the best possible service with a focus on top quality and utilization of the highly advanced means of technology, he said.

The national health care plan was finalized after top officials of the ministry as well as Saudi and international experts carried out detailed and in-depth studies at various levels, he pointed out.

The ministry has made a lot of achievements during the past three years and the Home Health Care Program was one of them. “We started the program from scratch, but now there are more than 11,000 patients who are taking advantage of this initiative,” he added.

Hospital Bed Management Program was another major initiative. “There was a shortage of beds. Hence, the ministry worked out a program to best utilize hospital beds based on a rota system. Earlier, each bed had four rotations in a month. Now each bed is having six rotations,” he pointed out.

[Ahmad Rashid Ahmad]

Medical city in Jouf will have 1,000 beds

The proposed 1,000-bed Prince Muhammed Bin Abdulaziz Medical City in Al-Jouf will serve the Kingdom's population in the northern region, Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah said during his visit to the area yesterday.

The minister described to Al-Jouf Gov. Prince Fahd bin Badr the various health projects that have been earmarked for the northern region. The meeting took place at the governor's palace.

The minister said the establishment of five medical cities in the Kingdom is based on a directive from Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah who was keen on providing equal health opportunities for people living in all parts of the Kingdom.

Prince Muhammed Bin Abdulaziz Medical City, which will be located in Sakaka in Al-Jouf, is aimed at serving people in neighboring regions such as Tabuk, Hail and the northern borders. The minister visited the site of the proposed medical city during his visit.

Under its budget, the Ministry of Health has allocated SR 2 billion to the Al-Jouf governorate, which serves the northern part of the Kingdom.

The minister explained his ministry had chalked out a strategic plan not only to increase the number of beds in the hospitals but also improve health services offered to families and ensure they meet global health standards. He said the ministry intends to accommodate four patients in a room, which would be good enough to ensure the privacy of patients as well as the convenience of medics and paramedics.

He said the funds allocated for training and development of human resources have been doubled to ensure quality and speedy health services. “This is being carried out in coordination with the ministries of labor and higher education.”

He also said he has plans to replace gradually old medical equipment in government hospitals in phases.

Director General of the medical city Dr. Nahr Al-Azmi conducted a presentation of the whole project in the presence of Prince Fahd bin Badr and Al-Rabeeah. Al-Azmi said the project will be built on an area of 2 million sq. meters and is expected to create 6,000 jobs. The city will have a general hospital with all needed facilities, cardiac center, eye hospital, general laboratory, and a rehabilitation center. He added its staff would be provided with the state-of-the art training inside and outside the Kingdom.

He said the project would be set up with the cooperation of public and private sectors in the Kingdom.

Yesterday, Prince Fahd opened 10 new health projects and laid the foundation stone for the construction of 14 other health facilities costing more than SR2 billion.

According to the director of the region's health department Abdullah bin Saleh Al-Moalim, the projects inaugurated included four new hospitals including a psychiatry facility each in Sakaka and Qurayat built at a cost of more than SR286 million.

The governor also opened two new general hospitals in the towns of Abu Ajram and Al-Haditha in addition to accommodation facilities for staff at a number of hospitals. He opened a 15-bed kidney dialysis unit at Prince Abdul Rahman Al-Sudairy hospital in Sakaka.

The 14 health projects included a maternity and children's hospital, a regional laboratory and a dental center in the city of Al-Jouf in addition to a kidney-dialysis unit at King Abdul Aziz hospital in Sakaka. The governor also laid foundation stones for seven primary health care centers in various cities and towns in the region.

[Ahmad Rashid Ahmad]

Tabuk governor lays foundation for multimillion health projects


Tabuk Gov. Prince Fahd bin Sultan, right, listens, as Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah explains about health projects in Tabuk on Tuesday.

Upcoming new health projects in all parts of the Kingdom clearly indicate the country’s health sector is making rapid development strides like never before, Tabuk Gov. Prince Fahd bin Sultan said on Tuesday.

The prince was speaking at the foundation laying ceremony for SR875 million worth of health projects in the Tabuk region held in the presence of Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, who was on a two-day visit to the region.

“This is a period where we are witnessing vast developments in the health sector designed to improve quality health services for residents and citizens living in all parts of the Kingdom,” the prince said, pointing out that this is the outcome of the vision of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, ably assisted by Crown Prince Naif, to offer the best healthcare services to all sectors of society. The governor also thanked the ministry officials for the wonderful healthcare services offered to the people.

Introducing Al-Rabeeah to the audience, the prince said the health minister is no stranger to the province. Al-Rabeeah is a minister who takes personal interest in the planning and implementation of all Health Ministry projects, he added. “He is a minister who first looks after his ministerial work and then goes home on completion of his daily obligations toward the ministry,” the governor said.

The prince also expressed his hope the projects would be completed soon within the contracted period. He said according to reports from the Ministry of Health, building contractors are working day and night to complete the projects within the allotted timeframe.

The projects included the construction of a SR409 million children and maternity hospital with 200 beds, a 200-bed mental health hospital capacity at a cost of SR200 million, a regional laboratory, blood bank and a poison center at a cost of SR60 million and four central warehouses at a cost of SR16 million. Besides these projects, a ceremony was held to mark the start of work on housing projects for medical staff in Taima , Amlaj and Duba hospitals that are being built for SR190 million.

During a visit to the King Khalid Hospital in Tabuk yesterday, Al-Rabeeah told patients that Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah conveyed his greetings and good wishes for them to get well soon.

Like all other regions, the minister said, Tabuk will also witness a chain of developments in the health sector that would eventually benefit the people in the region. During the tour, the minister also received feedback from members of the public on various matters related to health.

The minister said his ministry is very keen on completing all its health projects in various regions of the Kingdom according to schedule.

Al-Rabeeah highlighted the progress of work on the 500-bed King Fahd Specialist Hospital in Tabuk and the Medical City in Tabuk, stressing all regions of the Kingdom are important. Health Ministry spokesman Dr. Khalid Al-Mirghalani said Tabuk has been witnessing a number of health projects recently.

Ongoing projects include the construction of the SR305 million King Fahd Specialist Hospital and construction of a 100-bed hospital in Taima at a cost of SR85 million, a 100-bed hospital in Amlaj at a cost of SR117 million, a 100-bed hospital in Duba at a cost of SR117 million and construction of four primary healthcare centers for SR14 million in total.

[Ahmad Rashid Ahmad]

Key health projects awarded


Riyadh Gov. Prince Sattam looks on while Minister of Health Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah and top official of Al-Fawzan Contracting Company sign contracts in Riyadh on Sunday.

The Ministry of Health will implement three key medical projects in Riyadh at a total cost of over SR967.52 million.

Riyadh Gov. Prince Sattam attended the contract signing ceremony held at his office here yesterday. Minister of Health Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah signed the contracts that were awarded to Al-Fawzan Contracting Company.

The contracts included building three medical towers — one each at King Saud Medical City, Prince Salman Hospital, and Al-Iman General Hospital — and that will have a total of more than 800 beds, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

During the meeting with Prince Sattam, Al-Rabeeah spoke about the projects that the ministry plans to implement in the Riyadh province. He said the ministry has completed a number of health projects and they have begun operations. These included 500-bed Prince Muhammad Hospital, Riyadh, Imam Abdul Rahman bin Faisal Hospital, Al-Quwaieya General Hospital, Children’s and Maternity Hospital, Al-Kharj, each with 200 beds, Health Affairs General Directorate building in Riyadh region, in addition to Al-Bajadiya General Hospital, Darma Hospital, and Al-Artawiya Hospital, each with 50 beds, besides Al-Mozahamiya Hospital.

Al-Rabeeah said that a number of projects will be operational within the coming few months, and these include 300-bed hospital, north Riyadh, 200-bed mental health hospital, Al-Kharj, 150-bed Houta Sudair Hospital and 50-bed Rowaida Al-Areedh Hospital.

According to the minister, budgetary allocations were made for implementing several projects during the current year. These include Prince Sultan Hospital, a hospital in west Riyadh, medical tower at Al-Yamama Hospital, and Riyadh Mental Health Hospital, each having 500 beds, 300-bed Al-Kharj General Hospital, 200-bed Al-Saleel Hospital, 200-bed Afeef General Hospital, 50-bed Ramah and Halban hospitals, and15 clinics in Riyadh city.

Al-Rabeeah underscored the significance given by his ministry to develop primary health clinics in various parts of the province. “We have plans to build as many as 256 primary health care center projects in four phases. The ministry has already completed implementation of two phases,” he said, adding that new health projects are estimated to cost a total of more than SR6 billion.

[Ahmad Rashid Ahmad]

King allocates more lands for hospital projects

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah allocated more than 5.5 million square meters of land to build two hospitals in Jeddah and Makkah, said Minster of Health Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah on Friday.

The two hospitals are King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSHRC) in Jeddah and the King Abdullah Medical City (KAMC) close to Makkah.

“The king has ordered the allocation of a plot of more than two million square meters near the King Abdul Aziz International Airport to build the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Jeddah. Necessary funds for the construction of the first phase of the hospital have also been allocated,” Al-Rabeeah, who is also chairman of the KFSHRC’s board of directors, said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency.

Another plot of more than 3.5 million square meters has been allocated for the construction of the King Abdullah Medical City in Shumaisy on the Makkah-Jeddah highway with necessary funds.

The minister added that the contracts for the execution of the two projects would be awarded soon so that they begin serving the people in the province and nearby regions in the western part of the Kingdom without delay.

The minister, on behalf of the staff of the Ministry of Health and the KFSHRC, thanked the king for his keenness to provide specialist health care with easy access to all people including expatriates.

The minister added that the king allocated in the past plots and funds for the building of large medical cities in the southern, northern, eastern and central regions in the Kingdom.

They include the King Khaled Medical City in the Eastern Province, the King Faisal Medical City to serve the provinces in the south, and the Prince Muhammad Medical City meant for the people in the Northern provinces.

The king also approved the allocation of funds and other requirements for the medical centers and projects of the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center which includes the King Abdullah Tumor and Liver Diseases Center, Center for Emergency and Family Medicine, support services and car parking, King Fahd Medical City’s tumor, cardiac and neurology centers and research centers meant for the Riyadh province and nearby regions.

“The construction of most of these projects are underway after the completion of their designing and awarding of contracts. The contracts of the remaining projects will be awarded after the completion of their plans, which are designed with the help of world famous designing firms and in keeping with the latest international standards and specifications,” the minister said.

[Ahmad Rashid Ahmad]

Saudi to spend $331m on six Jizan health centres

There is a high domestic demand for healthcare in Saudi Arabia driven by a large population base

Saudi Arabia will spend $331m (SAR 1.2bn) to build six health centres in Jizan province in the south-west of the kingdom, a senior official in Jizan's General Directorate of Health Affairs has told Zawya.

The Saudi health ministry has allocated $93.32m (SAR 350m) for a specialty hospital with 500 beds; $125m (SAR 468.8m) for two general hospitals with a total capacity of 500 beds; and $16m (SAR 60m) for a mental hospital with 200 beds, the official said on condition of anonymity.

The other projects under this initiative include a primary health center at a cost of $4m (SAR 15m) and a maternity hospital for $79m (SAR 296.3m), the official said.

The ministry will also support the development of the Prince Mohammed Bin Nasser Hospital with $13.3m (SAR 49.9m), the source said.

According to business consultancy Deloitte, Saudi Arabia offers one of the most reformed and organized healthcare structures in the GCC. The high domestic demand driven by a large population base and high health insurance penetration is boosting the industry growth in the kingdom, the firm said in research released earlier this year.

“As such, there is a need for investment across primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare services,” Deloitte said, and suggested public-private partnerships to meet the needs of the Saudi healthcare sector.

[Ahmad Rashid Ahmad]

King Abdullah dedicates 420 health projects

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Patronizes Opening of 420 Health Projects and Laying the Foundation Stone for 127 project.

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud patronized at his palace today a ceremony for the opening of 420 health projects and the laying of the foundation stone for 127 other health projects costing more than SR12 billion.

A speech event was held to mark the occasion. In a key address, Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabee’a, the Minister of Health, announced that the monarch will open today more than 29 hospitals and health facilities, 391 primary health care centers and lay the foundation stones for two medical cities in the northern and southern regions of the Kingdom, projects in three medical cities, a specialist hospital, seven public hospitals, two medical towers, 73 digital operation rooms and 111 primary health care centers. He described the event as the largest in the history of his ministry.

Today’s achievement, brings to 54 and 645 the number of hospitals and primary health care units respectively operated by the Ministry over the last three years, the Minister said.

He vowed that his ministry is currently constructing 122 hospitals and towers, 305 primary health care units and is planning to double beds in its hospitals in the seven coming years.

Highlighting his ministry’s qualitative performance, Dr. Al-Rabeeah’ cited the winning of ten Saudi hospitals of the Accreditation Certificate by the US Accreditation Authority for Public Health Program and 30 other hospitals of the Accreditation certificate of the Saudi National Committee on Quality Assurance.

Then, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques pressed the buttons announcing the opening of the projects and the laying of the foundation stones of others.

Minister of Health presented a memorial gift to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to mark the occasion.

In a extemporary comment, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques said "God blesses you and creates many like you as you are strugglers. People speak too much but what is important is honesty. The most correct is the good work. May I appeal to Allah Almighty to help you to serve your religion and nation! This is what I wish and this is what every citizen wishes. Thank you".

The event was attended by Prince Miqren bin Abdulaziz, Advisor to and Special envoy of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques; Prince Mohammed bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, Assistant Interior Minister for Security Affairs; Prince Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Foreign Minister; Dr. Bandar bin Salman bin Mohammed, Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Prince Saud bin Abdulrahman bin Nasser bin Abdulaziz.

[Ahmad Rashid Ahmad]

Saudi King allocates land for hospital extensions

Saudi Arabia's King Abdulah has earmarked 4.5m m2 of land for the expansion of healthcare facilities in Jeddah and Taif, according to Arab News.

Royal directives have been issued to secure 4m m2 of land next to the King Faisal Hospital in Taif, which will be used to build a medical tower. The tower would contain a new maternity and childrens' hospital. Land near Taif University will also be used to conduct a general hospital with a mental hospital and a rehabilitation unit.

Meanwhile, in Jeddah land has been secured next to the King Fahd Hospital for construction of a new maternity hospital and 600-bed children's hospital.

Health minister Dr Abdullah Al-Rabeeah said the king had recently inaugurated 420 health projects and laid foundation stones for 127 other schemes with a value of around $3.2bn (SR: 12bn).

“These projects, which are considered a cultural qualitative shift, are in fact the largest event in the history of the Ministry of Health,” he said.

The ministry is currently building 122 hospitals and medical towers and 305 health centres with a view to doubling bed numbers in the Kingdom over the next seven years.

[mintgum84]

Does KSA train any (significant number of) domestic doctors? One sees adds in the press or articles saying KSA will import x thousands of Pakistani doctors, plus X Indian and so on medical professionals.

I am all for free movement of labour but was wondering what the internal health education system is like. KSA has 16 WHO recognized med schools:

http://avicenna.ku.dk/database/medicine/

[Ahmad Rashid Ahmad]

Saudi signs $470m King Faisal hospital HQ contract



Jeddah’s King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSH &RC) will have a new headquarters at a cost of over $470m.

The contract was signed by health minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah with a Saudi company.

The first phase of the project, to be completed in three years, will consist of a 630-bed hospital complex covering 200 hectares of land, according to official reports.

The phase will include a 150-bed intensive care unit, 50 dialysis stations, a 90-bed one-day post-surgery care facility and another 78 longer term rooms for surgery patients and inpatients.

Dr. Al-Rabeeah thanked King Abdullah for the great support being extended to the health sector after a total of $27bn was appropriated for health and social services in the new budget for 2013.

The signing ceremony was also attended by Dr. Qasim Al-Qasabi, executive supervisor of the general organisation for KFSH &RC, and Dr. Tareq Lanjawi, executive director for the hospital.

Al-Qasabi said the new headquarters would comprise a centre for advanced scientific research and provide higher level training to Saudi doctors.

Dr. Tareq Lanjawi said that the new headquarters would also house specialized centres for the treatment of tumors, marrow and neurological disorders, and heart diseases.

It will also have hospital for children, integrated building for external clinics, a conference hall, main administrative block, service and logistics buildings and parking areas.

[Ahmad Rashid Ahmad]

First phase of new Jeddah medical complex complete

The complex is being built to the north of Jeddah

The first phase of a new 1,100-bed medical project to the north of Jeddah has been completed.

Speaking to Arab News, the Saudi Health ministry spokesman Khalid Al-Mirghalani said the construction of the 500-bed main hospital at the site has been completed and this section of the complex would be opened soon to patients.

Health minister Dr Abdullah Al-Rabeeah announced that the project would be named King Abdullah Medical Complex.

Al-Rabeeah said the 266,000 m² complex will include a specialised hospital with a capacity of 500 beds located in an area of 75,000 m². It will also offer a 50-bed intensive care unit, 20 incubators for newborns and 16 beds to treat patients admitted for burns. In addition, it will have a separate section for accident victims.

The other facilities include a centre for neurological sciences and a specialsed fertility centre, eight operating theatres, two departments for cardiac catheterisation, and 45 outpatient clinics in all disciplines of the hospital.

Furthermore, the facility will provide a 200-bed children and maternity hospital built in an area of 75,000 m². Besides a number of ophthalmological clinics, the complex will house more than 100 clinics in its dental department.

Describing the new complex as an addition to the health care sector in the Kingdom, Al-Rabeeah said the new facility would serve the health needs of the people in the Western province.

[Ahmad Rashid Ahmad]

Prince Muqrin to open 500-bed Riyadh hospital

The new 500-bed Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz Hospital in Riyadh is all set for inauguration.

A new 500-bed hospital to cater for people in the eastern and northern parts of Riyadh city will be opened here tomorrow by Prince Muqrin, second deputy premier, chancellor and special envoy for Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.

Since its partial opening in March last year, the hospital, which has 15 digital surgical theaters, has treated more than 1,000 patients, according to its General Director Mohammed Al-Shehri. The operating theaters include 10 general surgical theaters, four day-surgery operating rooms and one theater for emergency operations.

Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah has confirmed the formal opening by Prince Muqrin.

Over the last two days, hospital employees have been adding the final touches to the hospital before the grand opening. It is the second largest hospital in the capital after the King Saud Medical Complex (Semesi Hospital).

The hospital was originally named the Eastern Riyadh Hospital but was subsequently changed to Prince Mohammed Bin Abdulaziz Hospital by King Abdullah in November 2011. It was built at a cost of SR 455 million and located on an area of more than 120,000 sq. meters.

According to Al-Rabeeah, the hospital has been built on par with the best global designs and standards. The complex is situated in the Al-Rayan district in the east of the capital and consists of five floors including 15 operating theaters.

The other facilities are a radiology unit, mammogram screening section, center for burns, laboratory, blood bank, physiotherapy, rehabilitation treatment, an emergency department which has 102 beds, the largest such section in the region, and a dialysis unit with 52 dialysis machines.

The ground floor of the hospital consists of the main lobby, the administration,
medical records, library, classrooms, lecture hall, the procurement and finance department, dining halls, laboratories, the blood bank, the radiology unit, the emergency unit, the rehabilitation center (physical therapy), and outpatient clinics covering internal medicine, respiratory, pediatrics, gynecology, dentistry, diabetes, urology, dermatology, and kidney diseases. In addition, the hospital has an emergency section with 36 beds.

Secretary-General of the Health Services Council Yacoub Al-Mazroa praised the king for supporting the project and health services across the Kingdom.
Health Ministry spokesman Khalid Al-Mirghalani told Arab News that it is one of the largest hospitals and strategically located.

Deputy Minister of Health for Curative Services Abulaziz Al-Hemeidi said:
“The hospital is a new ministry institution which covers all medical specialties. It is considered a qualitative addition to health care services systems for Riyadh citizens.”