JEDDAH, 22 October 2005 — Crown Prince Sultan will inaugurate the Armed Forces Hospital in Madinah today. The 50-bed hospital, equipped with advanced medical facilities, was established at a cost of SR50 million, according to Maj. Gen. Eshq Al-Saqer, the Madinah region commander.
He said the two-story hospital has clinics for maternity, childcare, internal medicine, ENT, ophthalmology and kidney diseases. The first floor houses the hospital’s intensive care unit and 50 beds for the treatment of inpatients.
Prince Sultan, who arrived in Madinah on Monday to perform prayers at the Prophet’s Mosque and to launch a number of welfare projects, will also inaugurate the housing facilities for the hospital’s staff, which was established at a cost of SR6 million.
Also today, Prince Sultan will lay the foundation stone for the first higher technical institute for girls and open new facilities of the College of Technology in the city.
Dr. Ali Al-Ghafees, governor of the General Organization for Technical Education and Vocational Training (GOTEVOT), said the college’s new facilities included training halls, workshops, laboratories, administrative offices, a mosque and support services.
The college, which would accommodate 3,000 students, offers courses in administrative technology, computer science, electrical sciences and electronics.
The technical institute for girls will cover an area of 120,000 square meters, and will include administrative offices, training facilities, a library, a restaurant and support services. The project is estimated to cost SR84 million, Ghafees said.
He announced the organization’s plan to open new training facilities in Mahd, Badr Al-Ula, Yanbu, Khaibar, Hanakiya, Wadi Al-Farae and Al-Eis in the Madinah region.
In another development, Prince Sultan is expected to chair a meeting of the board of trustees of Sultan Charitable Foundation at his palace in Makkah’s Azizia district on Tuesday.
Dr. Majed Al-Qasabi, secretary-general of the foundation, said the meeting would discuss the charity’s projects for 2006. The meeting will also review the foundation’s achievements in the past 11 years in the areas of humanitarian and medical services, educational projects, technological education and charitable housing.
The board will also review preparations for the opening of Sultan Center for Science and Technology in Alkhobar after Eid Al-Fitr. The foundation was established on Jan. 21 this year.
