JEDDAH – The Bride of the Red Sea will have a 1,000-bed maternity hospital attached to King Abdullah Medical Complex, announced Minister of Health Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah here on Wednesday. Addressing the fifth consultative meeting organized by the Health Affairs Directorate in Jeddah, he said the holy city of Makkah will have a new 500-bed hospital. Another 500-bed hospital will be built in northern Jeddah, the minister said, adding that Al-Sharaye Hospital in Makkah will have 300 beds that will serve residents in the city. This hospital will be ready by 2018. Al-Rabeeah said that King Faisal Medical Tower near the holy sites in Makkah is 95% complete, and will be ready to serve all locals and Haj and Umrah pilgrims before this Haj season. He said the number of health projects in the Kingdom are doubling and that 79 new hospitals in different regions are being launched. Sami Badawood, director of Jeddah Health Affairs, said the meeting discussed quality measures and its implementation, challenges facing the 937 service, which is a hotline provided for the public to contact the ministry around the clock. Other topics on the agenda of the meeting were pharmacy care, staff training, first aid development, work contracts, and ministry's online programs.
