The private sector has expanded its health services over the past decade, operating an increasing number of hospitals and clinics all over the country, the Ministry of Planning reported in its 2009 annual report. Latest statistics recorded that there are about 125 private hospitals operating in the Kingdom with approximately 11,300 beds. Public hospitals managed under the Saudi Ministry of Health have reached over 270 with total bed capacity of 43,000. Major private hospitals now provide wide range of sophisticated treatment, including open-heart surgery, kidney transplants and cancer therapy. The report said Saudi Arabia's public health sector has one of the world's largest and best-equipped eye hospitals, the King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, and one of the largest medical facilities in the Middle East, the King Fahd Medical City in Riyadh. The report said that as medical technology continues to upgrade in the Kingdom, with its highly trained specialists, doctors and nurses, citizens now rarely travel abroad to avail specialized medical treatment. Medical services now extend to the most remote communities in the country. Approximately 11,350 doctors, nurses and other medical personnel, including those from the Saudi Red Crescent Society, provide free medical service to the millions of annual visitors going for Haj and pilgrimage. Immunization against TB, polio, hepatitis and tetanus is available for the pilgrims.
