Deputy Minister of Health for Planning and Development has said that works to replace and upgrade the Kingdom's public hospitals will be finished within three years. Deputy Minister Mohammed Khashim said that two hospitals in Jeddah with 1,000 beds are expected to open “soon” and reiterated that building companies conducting works had been reminded of their obligations to meet deadlines. Any failures to do so, he said, may see the withdrawal of contracts. According to Khashim, the Ministry of Health seeks to open 2,700 single-design healthcare centers equipped with the most advanced facilities in cities across the country. “This year's budget has approved eight hospitals and 19 healthcare centers,” Khashim said. “The immediate challenge for the Ministry for Health now is to improve facilities and medical staff.”
