HILL International, the global leader in managing construction risk, has been awarded two contracts by the Ministry of Health (MoH) in Saudi Arabia to provide project management services during the design and construction of major healthcare projects in the country.

The five-year contracts, involving two medical cities and 10 hospitals located across Saudi Arabia, have a combined value of approximately SR127.5 million ($34 million).

The medical cities comprise the 1,350-bed King Faisal Medical City in the southern province of Abha; and the 1,000-bed Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Medical City in the northern province of Al Jouf. Both the medical cities will incorporate housing and other facilities for the medical staff in addition to treatment facilities.

The 10 hospitals will add 2,600 more beds to the health infrastructure.

The projects aim to complement Saudi Arabia’s efforts to improve healthcare services for its rapidly growing population, which is expected to rise from the current 26 million to 29 million by 2015.

Hill will implement construction management services to effectively manage time, cost and quality of their capital construction programme.

Hill was chosen by MoH to execute this project as fast as possible in order to speed up improved health services for the kingdom’s regional population.

“Construction of these 12 projects is critically important for the people of Saudi Arabia,” said Raouf Ghali, president of Hill’s Project Management Group (International). “We are honoured to have been selected by MoH to manage such an important healthcare programme,” added Ghali.