The Ministry of Health unveiled its plans to set up a new medical city in Makkah outside the Haram. Hussein Ghanam -deputy director general of health affairs in the Makkah region- said that the ministry is preparing engineering plans and designs for the city, which will be built on the Makkah-Jeddah Expressway after Shumaisi checkpoint. "The city project would be implemented in a sprawling area covering more than three million square meters. As the city will be located outside the Haram area, the ministry can take advantage of non-Muslim medical cadets, including specialists and experts". Ghanam opened the second social service forum organized by the health department at King Abdulaziz Hospital in Makkah's Al-Zaher. This will be the second medical city in Makkah after King Abdullah Medical City. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah opened the city in Aziziya district in November 2009. The city, which was built over an area of 800,000 square meters, had 1,500 beds, including 500 beds in the specialist referral hospital, which consisted of five stories with 10 operating theaters and a modern radiology department. Ghanam also disclosed plans to implement a number of health projects in the holy city. "The first phase of the medical tower at King Abdulaziz Hospital will be operational before the beginning of this year's Haj season, as Al-Madinah local daily stated. Our department has also plans to shift the Maternity and Children's Hospital from its old building in Jarwal district to King Abdullah Medical City before Ramadan this year," he said adding that the 220-bed hospital will be expanded to a 600-bed hospital after shifting to the city. Ghanam also announced plans to establish a 400-bed new hospital in Makkah's eastern suburb of Al-Sharaie. "We are now preparing special budgetary allocations for implementing the project. The department is also implementing a number of primary health center projects," he added.
