JEDDAH — King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Mosques, has granted land for building two major hospitals along Jeddah-Makkah Expressway, according to the minister of health. Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah said the Ministry of Health would receive two plots of land, measuring a total of 5.5 million square meters, along the Expressway for building King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSH) and King Abdullah Medical City. Al-Rabeeah, who is also the chairman of the hospitals' board of directors, said the King had given directives for the allotment of land measuring more than 2 million square meters in the vicinity of King Abdulaziz International Airport for the construction of a new complex for King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Jeddah. The King has also approved allocation of funds for the construction of the hospital's first phase, the minister added. He said King Abdullah Medical City would be built on a 3.5 million-square-meter plot near Al-Shumaisy. Al-Rabeeah said allocations had already been made for the hospital, which would serve the holy city of Makkah and neighboring areas. The contract for the project would be offered for public bidding soon, he added. The minister said the King's directives reflected the great care the Saudi leadership gives to the health sector in the country. King Abdullah recently issued similar orders allocating land for King Khaled Medical City in the Eastern Province, King Faisal Medical City in Asir region and Prince Muhammad Bin Abdul Aziz Medical City in the northern region. Funds have been approved for all three projects. Elaborating on other healthcare projects underway, the minister said work on new projects and facilities at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Riyadh, such as King Abdullah Oncology and Liver Center, emergency wing and family medicine center was already under way. He added that budgets for new oncology, cardiology, neurology and research centers at King Fahd Medical City in Riyadh had been approved. Building plans for all these projects are finalized and work on some of them has already started. According to independent estimates, the Kingdom's healthcare expenditures are expected to increase by 16 percent to SR91 billion in 2012 from SR78.6 billion in 2011, driven by aggressive public sector investments in new facilities. Saudi Arabia has a comprehensive integrated three-tier health care system that covers both citizens and expatriates. The Health Ministry, the major player, is focusing on preventive, curative and rehabilitative care for the country's population. It provides primary health care services through a network of more than 2,000 primary health centers. — SG/SPA
