A medical academic center with capacity to treat 700,000 patients annually will be launched by a Saudi hospital with the participation of the United Arab Emirates by the second half of 2017, a leading figure in the medical sector in the Kingdom said.

“The SR2 billion medical academic project that the Soliman Fakeeh Hospital plans to establish in collaboration with the UAE at Dubai’s Silicon Valley is part of the hospital’s expansion plan,” Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of the Soliman Fakeeh Hospital Mazen Fakeih said in a statement on Tuesday.

The hospital with a medical college, which is being designed by an Italian firm, will undertake 20,000 surgeries annually, Fakeih added.

The project is part of the Soliman Fakeeh Hospital’s policy of offering the most advanced services in medical technology to its patients, he added.

While the hospital will create 4,000 job opportunities, its college hospital will have a 300-bed capacity. The college hospital will focus on family health and expects to attract patients from neighboring regions as well.

The center with a capacity to provide beds for 40,000 patients annually will work as a comprehensive medical services establishment supported by excellent medical and surgical specialties including mother and child health care, cardiac, spinal and laser and plastic surgeries in addition to treatment for obesity.

The college administration equipped with the most advanced facilities and experienced personnel in the health care sector will also offer excellent training and research facilities for students.

Furthermore, the college students will have the opportunity to learn through exchange programs with international medical institutions. The Fakeeh medical college will also forge close collaborations with local institutions of advanced learning such as the Rochester Institute of Technology in Dubai Silicon, the American University in Sharjah, the Emirates University and the Dubai Academic City.