RIYADH, 4 March 2008 — The Ministry of Health is to build a specialized hospital in the holy city of Madinah and three more hospitals in Tabuk, Health Minister Dr. Hamad Al-Manie announced yesterday.
The minister, who signed three separate contracts for the construction of the new hospitals, told reporters that his ministry had given the building contractors a timeframe to complete these projects.
Following the signing ceremony, the minister explained that the specialized hospital in the holy city of Madinah will be equipped with 500 beds and will have separate wings for diabetes, heart diseases, maternity, pediatrics and emergencies.
Al-Jabreen Contracting Establishment will build the specialist hospital in Madinah at a cost of SR294.5 million. The project has to be completed within 30 months.
The contracts for hospitals in Khyber, Dibah and Amloj were signed with Saudi Arabian Company for Catering and Trading. The Khyber hospital will be built at a cost of SR75.9 million while the other two hospitals will cost SR151 million and are expected to be completed in 24 months.
Last month, Dr. Hamad Al-Manie approved a list of new projects worth SR3 billion under the new budget. The projects included computerization program of 50 hospitals and 300 Family Health Care Centers at a cost of SR680 million. Under the program, medical records of the patients will be electronically stored and will be retrieved as and when required by the physicians.
Under the current budget, the ministry has plans to build two specialized centers in Abha General Hospital and King Fahd Hospital in Jizan. The proposed centers will have 200 beds each and will cost SR160 million. It will also build a trauma center, at a cost of SR80 million, at the King Fahd Hospital in Dammam. Funds have also been allocated to build maternity hospitals in Tabuk (200 beds), Al-Jumoum (100 beds) and in west Riyadh (300 beds). The projects will cost SR120 million, SR80 million and SR200 million respectively.
