(MENAFN - Arab News) The Prince Sultan Cardiac Center in Najran successfully carried out its first open heart surgery on a 43-year-old Saudi woman, the Ministry of Health announced here yesterday.
The open heart surgery was performed by a team of 14 specialists. The official also said the patient is in stable health condition following the surgery.
Health Minister Abdullah Al-Rabeeah said major expansion work of the health facilities in the Kingdom are being carried out. Under this year's budget, he said three more cardiac centers will be constructed in Jazan, Tabuk and Taif at a cost of SR 360 million.
"These three new centers will be added to the existing nine centers totaling them to 12 centers in the Kingdom, " he added.
The nine existing cardiac centers include Prince Salman Cardiac Center in King Fahd Medical City Riyadh, Cardiac Center in King Abdullah Medical City in Makkah, Saud Al-Babtain Cardiac Center in the Eastern Province, Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz Cardiac Center in Hofuf (Al-Ahsa), Cardiac Center in Hail, Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Musad Center in the northern border, Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Center in Najran, the Madinah Cardiac Center and the Center at the King Fahd Hospital in Jeddah.
Since its inception four months ago, the Najran Cardiac Center has performed more than 200 surgeries that included catheterization and other forms of cardiac surgeries. It has 60 beds, one Intensive Care Unit, catheterization rooms and two operating theaters.
Last week, an open heart surgery on a 2-year-old child was successfully performed at the Madinah Cardiac Center in the holy city.
Abdul Hamid Al-Najjar consultant pediatric cardiologist and assistant director general for technical affairs at the Madinah Cardiac Center said that surgical team had performed a number of such surgeries on several children, who were affected with various forms of chronic heart problems.
