Minister of Health Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah will join the Emir in the opening ceremony in the city close to the Kuwaiti border.

Director of Health Affairs in Hafr Al-Batin Mutlaq Al-Khamali said these projects include the 200-bed Hafr Al-Batin Central Hospital, the 300-bed Maternity and Children’s Hospital, the 50-bed Saira General Hospital, six primary healthcare centers, a diabetes center at King Khalid General Hospital, and the new headquarters of the Directorate of Health Affairs in the city.

These projects include 19 medical complexes and hospitals with a total of 7,400 beds as well as three centers for child behavioral and growth disorders. These centers are the first of their kind in the Kingdom where children with autism and hyperactivity will be given the best health and curative care, said Minister of Health Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah.

In a statement to Saudi Press Agency, the minister said that the King’s directives included expropriation of a number of plots of land to establish health projects, besides approval to implement several development schemes at MOH facilities.

According to Al-Rabeeah, King Abdullah’s directives include approval for the following hospital projects: 200-bed hospitals in Raniya and Al-Khurma in Makkah region, 500-bed hospital in Qunfuda in Makkah region, 400-bed Maternity and Children’s Hosptial in Madinah, 200-bed hospital in Badar region, 300-bed hospitals in Majma and Sharoura region, 300-bed Mountain Sector Hospital in Jazan, 200-bed Maternity and Children’s Hospital in Mahayil Asir, 500-bed hospitals each in Qatif, Al-Hassa, Khamees Mushayt, and west of Dammam, 1000-bed medical complexes in Riyadh and Jeddah, 300-bed Al-Qahma and Al-Barak Hospital in Asir, 100-bed Turba Hospital in Makkah region, and 200-bed hospitals in Al-Mahad in Madinah region and east of Asir.

All these hospitals will have accommodation for the staff except the hospital in Badar region, the minister said.

Al-Rabeeah said the King has also directed to establish three centers for child behavioral and growth disorders in Riyadh and Makkah regions as well as in the Eastern Province.

King Abdullah instructed to expedite expropriation of land to start implementation of some vital projects such as medical tower for maternity and pediatrics in Jeddah, medical tower at the Jeddah Eye Hospital, and Children’s Hospital in Taif. The ministry has also been directed to speed up the procedures, in coordination with the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs, for the allotment of land for the 500-bed Prince Sultan Emergency Hospital and 15 sites for comprehensive clinics in Riyadh city, allocation of a portion of land allotted to King Abdullah Gardens with an area of 400,000 square meters to establish a 500-bed hospital in west Riyadh, besides allocation of land near Prince Muhammad Hospital in east Riyadh to establish Al-Yamama Maternity and Children’s Hospital and that was in coordination with the Ministry of Education.

The Royal directives include expropriation of land in Qatif to establish Maternity and Children’s Hospital and buying of land to build mental health hospital in Riyadh.

The King also approved SR1 billion to meet the requirements with regard to construction of primary health centers for which appropriations were made in the ministry’s budget.

Al-Rabeeah said King Abdullah approved new criteria for operation of hospitals which will come into force in a phased manner in coordination with the Ministry of Finance.

He also accorded sanction to establish Health Investments Company, which is to be owned by the Public Investment Fund.

Details of the company, including its economic feasibility, goals, activities, and working mechanism will be worked out on an urgent basis by the ministry and the Fund.

This new state-of-the-art private hospital located in the city center of Riyadh has currently 94 beds in operation spread across different specialties, including 13 high-tech beds at the hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU).

The hospital, which went through a complete makeover, including new flooring, was formally inaugurated by Shaikh Abdul Mohasin Ali Al-Mubarak, chairman of Mubarak Hospital, yesterday. Bassam Ibrahim Al-Yahya, head of the hospital division at the MOH, and Abdul Rahman Al-Yousaf, another senior MOH official besides a large number of doctors, paramedical staff, businessmen and guests attended the ceremony.

Nassar Al-Asseeri, administration director of the hospital, said the facility will introduce a “novel concept of health care in which patients will be given best treatment at the lowest possible cost.” The hospital doors are open for Saudi citizens and expatriates alike. The hospital has five major operating theaters along with a CT scan unit, high-resolution MRI machine and incubators besides all other world-class medical gadgets.

In addition, the hospital has sprawling internal courtyards, and has a large concourse/entrance area with waiting and children’s play areas, a cafe and shop. Asseeri added that the hospital is one of the few private sector health care facilities, which will have full-fledged clinics for patients suffering from psychiatric problems and urological disorders.

Mubarak Hospital is already negotiating with several medical insurance companies, which will ensure health care accessibility to their cardholders. Briefing the press, the hospital’s Operation Manager Shahsa Hassan Ali, said: “We are delighted to open this state-of-the-art facility.” She added that the hospital will shortly embark on an expansion plan under which 20 to 30 beds will be added to the existing facility.

The hospital has already hired more than 50 top-notch Saudi and expatriate doctors. “About 20 doctors from Pakistan and more than nine from India will arrive in Riyadh within a few weeks from now,” she said and pointed out that the hospital offers specialties of cardiology, dermatology, diabetics, digestive system, internal and infectious diseases, a kidney and urology unit, neurology, a psychiatry clinic, lung and rheumatic diseases.

It also includes a general surgery unit, an orthopedic unit, and an ENT clinic. The hospital, she said, has a modern gynecology clinic, a pediatric department, and a dentistry unit besides a number of support departments. The hospital has its own pharmacy for providing patients with medicines prescribed by specialist physicians and provision of services corresponding to applicable drug precautions and professional regulations.

Prominent among the guests present at the inauguration included Khalid Al-Dakeelullah Al-Khathami, Mohammed Luthfy Abdudawood, Nasser Al-Aseeri, Faisal Al-Mubarak, Shahsa Hassan Ali, Shaheem Mohammed Unni, regional director of Lulu Hypermarkets, Shaji Aripra, Ashraf Venghat, V.M. Ashraf, Shaji Alapuzha, Shihab Kottukad, Shakeeb Kolakkadan, Noufal Palakodan, Rafeeq Hassan and Abdul Kareem Faizi.

There are 21 hospitals and complexes for mental health and 99 psychiatric clinics that are equipped with 2,811 beds, said Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Hemaidhi at the national conference for the treatment of addictions organized by Al-Amal Complex For Mental Health.

There are plans to expand the number of beds in current hospitals, in addition to expansion projects for existing hospitals, he had said. Al-Hemaidhi said there were 677 psychiatrists working in these centers.

In addition, there are 428 psychiatric specialists, 872 social specialists, and 3,182 nurses, he claimed. There are plans for 14 hospitals in different parts of the Kingdom, he announced. A pioneer project of the ministry is to provide psychiatric services through primary health care centers, he said.

The General Manager of Riyadh Health Affairs Dr. Adnan Al-Abdulkarim said a number of experts and specialists in addiction treatment participated in the conference. He added that the ministry plans to build a new complex with 500 beds.

“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.

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. 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.

Field surveys indicated that Riyadh and Jeddah are most in need of an increase in hospital beds. The National Center for Health Information will be linked with the Health Services Council and will be connected with the Ministry of Health, medical services in the military, university hospitals, and other related institutions. The center will be the main institution for the provision, organization and exchange of information among health bodies.

It will create a unified electronic health file for each patient by electronically linking medical records in various health sectors, including hospitals and community health centers. The center will collect and set up research data on common diseases and epidemics in coordination with relevant authorities.