The first phase of the King Abdul Aziz Specialist Hospital has been opened at the resort city of Taif.

The 500-bed hospital, the largest and most advanced in the city, was established at a cost of SR650 million ($173.31 million), a report said.

Saudi Health Minister Dr Osama Shubokshi said the hospital would become one of the premier health facilities in the Kingdom.

The hospital complex includes a health college with separate wings for boys and girls and will have a capacity to enroll 1,000 students, Shubokshi said.