Saudi Arabia’s Health Ministry has extended the submission date for the tenders for the construction of two major hospitals in the north and south of the kingdom.

The ministry has extended the bid deadline for the contracts to build the second phases of the Prince Mohamed bin Abdulaziz Medical City, located in the north of the kingdom, and the King Faisal Medical City, located in the south, to 11 August. The previous submission date was 11 June.

The contract for the second phase of the Prince Mohamed bin Abdulaziz Medical City will involve building hospital buildings and other facilities, which will add 500 beds to the 50-bed facility’s first phase, currently under construction.

The second phase of the King Faisal Medical City will also involve building hospital buildings and other facilities, which will add 850 beds to the 500-bed facility currently under development.

In February 2012, the Health Ministry awarded an estimated SR642m ($171.2m) contract to the local Al-Fouzan Trading & General Construction Company to build the first phase of the estimated SR4bn King Faisal Medical City. Al-Fouzan will build the 500-bed first phase of the development, which is scheduled to take three years to complete.

King Faisal Medical City will cover a total area of 262,836 square metres and will contain a specialised hospital, eye hospital and cardiac and neuroscience hospitals. The facility will have a total clinical capacity of 1,350 beds when completed and the scheme will also contain 200 housing units and 200 apartments for medical staff.