TAIF, 5 August — Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, will open the first phase of King Abdul Aziz Specialist Hospital here today.
The 500-bed hospital, the largest and most advanced in this resort city, was established at a cost of SR650 million. The crown prince laid the foundation stone for the project two years ago.
Health Minister Dr. Osama Shubokshi said the hospital would become one of the premier health facilities in the Kingdom. “It will provide specialized health care services to citizens and residents,” he added.
The hospital complex on a plot of land measuring 250,000 square meters is built according to international standards.
The project includes a health college that will accommodate more than 1,000 students, Shubokshi said. The college will have separate wings for boys and girls, the minister added.
The housing units in the complex will have room for 340 singles and 124 families.
“Apart from a five-story main block, there are four other wings: one housing outpatient clinics and a kidney center, and three for support services,” Shubokshi said. The water purification plant at the complex has a capacity of 1,000 cubic meters a day.
Prince Abdullah, who arrived in Taif on Friday, will lay the foundation stone for the Aqabat Al-Muhammadiya Road in the city today. Communications Minister Dr. Nasir Al-Salloum said the 20 km-road would link Shafa resort and its suburban villages with Tihama and the Red Sea coast.
The road project, which is to cost SR35.78 million would also serve a large number of villages located in the mountainous Taif region by linking them to the Red Sea coast and easing traffic congestion on Hada road.
Prince Abdullah yesterday received a number of princes, senior Islamic scholars, high-ranking military and civilian officials who came to greet him on his arrival in Taif.
The reception was attended by a large number of princes including Prince Miteb, minister of public works and housing, and Prince Abdul Majeed, the governor of Makkah region.
