Saudi King orders 2 medical cities for Riyadh, Jeddah

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has ordered the construction of two medical cities in Riyadh and Jeddah under the Ministry of Interior, Interior Minister Prince Muhammad bin Naif announced yesterday. “King Abdullah’s gesture reflects his care for the security officers and their families,” the minister said, adding that the two medical cities would provide specialized health services to all citizens in the Kingdom. Prince Muhammad said the two medical cities, with advanced facilities and specialist doctors, would receive patients transferred from other hospitals including the ministry’s hospitals in different parts of the country. “There is a plan to establish a network of hospitals under the ministry as part of efforts to provide integrated medical services,” the prince said. “The two medical cities in Riyadh and Jeddah were planned to provide specialized health services to the ministry’s staff and security officers,” he added. Prince Muhammad thanked the king for the gesture. In a related development, an 800-bed hospital will be established at Taibah University in Madinah. Higher Education Minister Khaled Al-Anqari has signed a contract to implement the hospital project. Adnan bin Abdullah Al-Mazroue, rector of Taibah, thanked King Abdullah and Crown Prince Salman for their continuous support to the university. “This has resulted in boosting the university’s development and in enhancing its academic and research capabilities,” the rector said. He said the new hospital would be established on an area of 46,600 sq. meters. “If we consider the space on its different floors, the total area of the hospital will reach 221,500 sq. meters,” the rector said. The hospital will be located on King Abdul Aziz Road, east of Madinah. In the first phase, it will contain 400 beds, which will be increased to 800 in the second phase. “The university hospital will have all the clinics, in addition to nursing and educational facilities, operation rooms and laboratories,” Al-Mazroue said. The building will have eight floors in addition to a ground floor and a mezzanine floor. It will have 750 doctors and teaching staff, 2,350 students, 475 nurses, 800 patients, 700 administrators and workers, 2,850 visitors and will have a capacity to hold more than 10,000 people. The medical college will be located in the middle. From Arab News