RIYADH, 20 February — Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, will open one of the world's largest medical cities here tomorrow. The National Guard established the city which is named after the late King Abdul Aziz and provided it with a wide range of specialist medical facilities.
Dr. Fahd Al-Abdul Jabbar, executive director general of health affairs at the National Guard, described the city as one the largest medical projects in the Kingdom. The city, located north of the capital, includes specialized centers for heart surgery, liver transplant operations, dental medicine and long-term treatment.
Addressing a press conference in Riyadh, Abdul Jabbar said the heart and liver center at the city would conduct complicated surgical operations including open-heart surgery and liver transplant operations.
The center would conduct about 700 open heart operations, 2,000 other cardiac operations, 40 liver transplant and 70 surgical operations, he said, adding that he expected a 20 percent annual increase in the operations.
The city's outpatient clinics include most specializations ranging from clinics to treat infertility and burns to cardiac and mental diseases. There are three first aid centers for serious injuries, children and non-emergency cases.
The city includes a center for intensive care and burns, named after the late Princess Fahda bint Al-Asi ibn Shurayyem, mother of the crown prince, Princess Nouf bint Abdul Aziz and Princess Seeta bint Abdul Aziz. The director said the center's capacity could be increased in the future.
"This medical city was established primarily to meet the health care requirements of National Guard officers, their families and citizens," Abdul Jabbar said. The project also includes a center to produce vaccines.
Abdul Jabbar disclosed the plan to establish a college of medical sciences to train Saudi male and female nurses. "The Kingdom needs about 90,000 nurses but the number of Saudi nurses stands at less than 2,000," he pointed out.
Computer project: Prince Abdullah yesterday approved the computer project for National Guard schools. Under the terms of the project, each National Guard school would be given 20 computers with full support facilities.
