King Khalid Hospital

King Khalid Hospital, formally known as King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital, is a specialist ophthalmology center in Riyadh providing eye treatment and research. Established to serve the entire Middle East, it rose to be ranked among the best hospitals in the world.

Eye Care and Medical Services

• Secondary and tertiary care, with dedicated outpatient and inpatient facilities.
• Advanced surgical services for eye diseases.
• A fully equipped and staffed laboratory, radiology and pharmacy services, and other support services.
• A dedicated home healthcare program.

Founding and Vision

After observing the difficulties Saudi citizens faced when traveling abroad for medical and surgical treatment of eye diseases, King Khalid recognized the need for an integrated ophthalmology treatment and research center. In the late 1970s, he and his Council of Ministers proposed a specialist center serving the entire Middle East.

A royal order to build the hospital was issued in August 1979. The government allocated 2.5 square kilometers of land on Riyadh’s northwestern boundary for the project, and King Khalid closely followed its development.

Construction and Facilities

• The first phase was completed by June 1981, including most hospital departments, a mosque, 22 residential villas, six five-story residential buildings, a residential complex service center, and tennis courts.
• The second phase was completed in late 1982, adding the remaining hospital departments and residential units, roads, and landscaped gardens.

Operations and Official Opening

The hospital began operating in December 1982. King Khalid passed away before construction was completed, and the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, officially opened the hospital in November 1983.