(MENAFN - Arab News) Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah signed yesterday a SR 1.18 billion agreement for the construction of specialized medical centers at the King Fahd Medical City (KFMC) in Riyadh.
The minister also signed a separate contract for the construction of a National Cancer and Proton Beam Therapy Center at a cost of SR 277.6 million.
The minister signed the contracts with Latfiya Trading and Contracting Company, which has a partnership with Leighton Middle East.
He said the new projects are for the expansion of medical cities and specialized hospitals across the Kingdom.
KFMC CEO and Executive Director Abdullah bin Sulaiman Al-Amro was also present at the signing ceremony.
"A key mission of King Fahd Medical City is to provide the citizens of Saudi Arabia and the Middle East with access to the best possible diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitative health care services in the region. These additions to the medical campus will further demonstrate our commitment to this mission. The expansion projects allow us to provide the region's citizens with access to cutting-edge technology supporting the most advanced diagnostic and surgical procedures to date in oncology, neuroscience and cardiovascular care," Al-Amro said.
"With only a handful of proton beam therapy centers operational in the world to date, King Fahd Medical City's new state-of-the art cancer and proton beam therapy center will put KFMC into an elite category of health care providers offering patients this revolutionary radiation therapy treatment," he added.
Al-Amro said the projects fall within the strategic plans of KFMC up to the year 2026. It plans to be the national referral base by 2013 in terms of the quality health services provided to patients and a regional base by 2016.
KFMC is working to raise health levels of citizens, work out high standards for practicing medicine, diagnose and treat complicated medical cases referred to it by other hospitals and medical centers and develop human resources through education and training.
The proposed projects included the establishment of a comprehensive cancer center, the neurosciences center, laboratory building, a center for stem cell research and associated administrative offices and the expansion of Prince Salman Cardiac Center.
The cancer center is a 238-bed, 11-story building composed of 80 units and training facilities. The neurosciences center is an 11-story building and will have 10 specialized operating theaters in addition to 40-bed neuro intensive care units and another 316-bed neuro research laboratory center.
The expansion at Prince Salman Cardiac Center will include construction of more rooms for cardiac patients, medical education and training theaters and a rehabilitation center. The expansion will increase the number of rooms at Prince Salman Cardiac Center to 213.
The projected stem cell research center and associated administrative offices will occupy an area of 7,000 square meters and will be connected to nearby medical buildings to facilitate transfer of medical and technical staff of the center.
Located in Riyadh,KFMC is one of the largest independent medical cities in the Middle East consisting of a main hospital, a women's specialist hospital, a children's hospital and a rehabilitation hospital. In addition to the four hospitals, KFMC also features additional medical centers on its campus including the Prince Salman Cardiac Center, a Neuroscience Center, the Prince Sultan Hematology and Oncology Center and the Specialized Diabetes and Endocrine Center.
