RIYADH: Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah laid the foundation stone for King Abdullah Center For Tumor and Liver Diseases at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Riyadh on Tuesday. The minister also launched a new expansion of an accelerated nuclear department at the Hospital’s Research Center and inaugurated the Hospital’s electronic health services, which is in its second phase.Speaking on the occasion, Al-Rabeeah said: “We are thankful to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for having magnanimously agreed to call the new facility after his name.”The proposed facility is part of an integrated strategy to treat tumors and liver diseases.” The center would cost SR906 million and will have 300 beds to serve citizens and residents in the Kingdom.“Under the directive of the king, we will set up five more medical cities which would include separate center for oncology,” the minister said.Under the King’s patronage, the minister said the Kingdom’s health sector witnessed the graduation of 568 students in various specialties in medicine and health.The contract for the construction of the proposed center was signed with a local company in the presence of the health minister on June 4.The center consists of 21 floors and will be built on an estimated area of about 32,000 sq. meters. It is likely to be completed within 900 days.The contracted company would commence work immediately, the minister said. He indicated that the new facility would greatly reduce the number of patients going abroad for such treatment and it would also reduce time and cost of treatment.
“We hope to install the state-of-the-art medical equipment that are available in the US and Europe at the new center,” the minister said.The KFSH current tumor center receives nearly 3,000 cancer patients annually, a number that is expected to increase to 14,000 by 2020.He said the new facility would help patients with tumor and liver problems to be treated by qualified professionals with modern medical equipment with the right professionals.He pointed out that health services in specialized services to treat tumor and liver diseases are rare. – Arabnews
