JEDDAH, 8 January 2003 — The King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center here yesterday announced the end of a monthslong financial crisis and distributed unpaid salaries and benefits of its employees. The hospital also cleared a part of payments due to its medical suppliers.
The hospital currently employs 1,800 people, including doctors and nurses, with a monthly payroll of about SR20 million.
High-level sources told Arab News that Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd has given a generous donation to the hospital.
As part of a privatization plan, the hospital will receive payments from the government for its services during the transition period, the sources said.
The hospital has also plans to diversify its revenue sources.
All citizens in the country will benefit from the hospital’s services, which will be available to them at competitive rates. They will no longer require any special order from the authorities for treatment at this specialist hospital.
The sources said the hospital succeeded in retaining the services of its highly experienced international medical staff. Many of the hospital’s foreign staff were considering to quit following rumors that the hospital would wind down its operations shortly.
The hospital is now planning to expand its services and specializations to attract the largest number of clients and patients.
As many as 16,000 patients suffering from chronic diseases receive treatment at the hospital, which has conducted 800 open-heart surgeries and several organ transplants over the years.
