Patients in Qassim no longer need to travel outside the region for some advanced treatments, as King Abdullah Specialized Hospital, run by the Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, phases in its services, including robotic surgery, an organ transplant programme and cancer care.

The hospital stands on a 1,889,000-square-metre plot near Buraidah, close to King Abdulaziz Road, Prince Naif bin Abdulaziz International Airport and Qassim University. Its 156,294 square metres of built-up space include a 12-storey main building plus administrative, service and residential blocks. It is the ministry's fourth specialised medical project, after the Specialized Hospital for Women's Health in Riyadh, King Abdullah Specialist Children's Hospital and the Neuroscience and Trauma Care Center in Jeddah.

Of its 474 beds, 236 are for inpatients, 72 for intensive care and 45 for emergencies, while 121 serve operating theatres, day surgery, recovery, dialysis, maternity, physical therapy and rehabilitation. There are also 84 outpatient rooms, plus a central laboratory, imaging, a blood bank, a pharmacy and dental services.

Hospital executives said inpatients are housed in single rooms for privacy, and the facility is equipped with a surgical robot, a telestroke unit and telepathology capabilities, as well as an air ambulance helipad next to the emergency department.

The project holds LEED Certified status from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), thanks to more efficient electrical and mechanical systems and locally and regionally sourced materials. It will also train doctors and support medical research.