HABTOOR Leighton Group (HLG), operating as Leighton Middle East Contracting, has been awarded a second healthcare contract in Saudi Arabia, worth SR278 million ($74 million), at King Fahad Medical City (KFMC).

The project will see the delivery of the first Proton Therapy Centre in the Gulf region, and will be delivered in a 50-50 joint venture with Al Latifia Trading and Contracting.

Construction will commence later this year, with the Proton Therapy Centre, and the central services building set to be completed within 18 months to allow installation of equipment.

This award follows the announcement in September of HLG being selected to deliver a SR1.18-billion ($316 million) healthcare contract in Saudi Arabia – further strengthening HLG’s healthcare credentials and building on its strategy to diversify its work type and expand into the growing Saudi Arabia market.

HLG’s managing director Jose Antonio Lopez-Monis said the delivery of the Proton Therapy Centre will provide Saudi Arabia and neighbouring Gulf states with access to the best cancer treatment technology in the world.

Ayed Awadh Alqahtani, programme director for the construction and preparation of the new medical centres, said King Fahad Medical City is one of the leading organisations aiming to build state-of-the-art excellence centres across the region.

“The Proton Therapy Centre will be located in Riyadh and is part of the Ministry of Health’s King Fahad Medical City Prince Salman Heart Centre expansion project.

“Known as the PPNNCC, the project involves the construction of new medical centres on the current King Fahad Medical City campus. KFMC is also setting the trend of building tertiary facilities in the region,” said Alqahtani.

The Proton Therapy Centres spans three levels, including two basement levels and features a striking ground floor entrance. While linked to the main hospital building and a new Central Services Building, the Proton Therapy Centre is separately contained. Building information modelling (BIM) will be used as the central coordination tool to support the construction process.