A Saudi and a Chinese company have joined hands to build four private hospitals in Dammam, Jubail, Riyadh, and Jizan at a total cost of over SR1.3 billion, local media reported.
“All the preparations have been made including the obtaining of the mandatory official licenses and the purchase of the lands covering an area of 20,000 square meters in Dammam, 25,000 sqm in Jubail, 25,000 sqm in Riyadh and 20,000 sqm in Jazan,” said Muhammed Al-Ahamd, board member of the Saudi Trans Sadara Co., which owns 50 percent of the joint-venture company.
The Chinese company, which owns 50 percent of the projects, is an investment company located in Hong Kong, he pointed out.
He said that the Chinese company had agreed to invest in the Kingdom owing to the lucrative foreign investments in the Saudi market coupled with the stable political climate in the country.
The joint venture project also aims to enhance the awareness of Chinese therapy due to the repeated visits of Saudi patients to China for treatment, he added.
Regarding the need for such hospitals in the Kingdom, he said feasibility studies have shown the necessity to establish such hospitals in the Eastern Province especially due to the existence of giant companies such as Saudi Arabian Oil Co. (Saudi Aramco), Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC) and Saudi Electricity Co. (SEC) in addition to high rates of population.
Elaborating on the hospitals’ capacity and facilities, he said, “Each hospital accommodates 200 beds and includes out-patients clinics, pharmacies, rehabilitation centers, housing for medical staff, and one-day-surgery departments.”
The four hospitals are expected to go into full operation by the end of 2017 and will provide over 2,000 jobs for young male and female Saudis in the fields of pharmacy, nursing, administrative affairs, procurement, marketing and safety and security, he pointed out.
