Throughout 2023, KFSHRC pursued its transformational journey determinedly, illuminated by the Kingdom’s vision and our aspirations. As we advance, we find ourselves on the brink of a new era, one where progress transcends mere medical advancements. It extends to the lives we touch, the hope we instill, and the healing we facilitate. As such, KFSHRC is not merely contributing to change the landscape of healthcare; we are, in essence, elevating lives—affecting the very core of human well-being and health in ways that will resonate for generations to come.

In continuing our historic transformation into a nonprofit foundation, we accomplished maintaining world-class services while delivering many of our key financial and operational objectives. Strengthening our structure and sustainability, we established a more detailed and robust framework for management capabilities and leadership, while further designing the transformation direction and embedding governance.

In the midst of transformational efforts, we have ensured that patient welfare is our overarching priority with no room for compromise. In 2023, we accepted over 40,000 new patients across our three branches in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Madinah, 9% more than the previous year. Outpatient visits to our hospitals likewise increased by 11%, totaling to around 1.9 million. This is an indication of patients’ ongoing confidence in our services and trust in our practitioners. In return, we resolve to be better caregivers every day, as we hold the distinct privilege of touching lives and in multiple instances, changing them.

Such is the case described in a number of patients’ stories featured. While KFSHRC achieves medical and clinical successes— whether it be the world’s first fully robotic liver transplantation, or the implantation of electrodes into a child’s brain without major surgery, and the heart transplant on the youngest patient recorded in the Middle East—the best and most palpable successes are those that stem from the knowledge that through our hospital, people’s lives have been positively impacted in ways we never could have prescribed.

Expanding our reach not only within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia but even across borders and cultures has always been among KFSHRC’s many aims. The Virtual Healthcare Center unified in 2021, has provided services to around 180,000 patients in 2023—a tremendous increase of 1800% since its inception three years ago. With our achievements and reputation reaching the global stage, overseas visitors seeking the most advanced and effective international consultations, diagnoses, and treatments sought KFSHRC. In 2023, more than 400 medical tourists attended KFSHRC facilities, many of them taking advantage of our oncologists’ expertise.

Our work has always been underpinned by advancements and ongoing efforts to improve our patients’ experience and offer them the best healthcare outcomes. In terms of infrastructure, work progresses on the Polyclinics and Family Medicine Building at the Riyadh site, which was at 75% completed construction-wise by the end of 2023. Insofar as healthcare technology is concerned, we leveraged artificial intelligence and digital platforms to provide personalized and precise care to our patients, supported by tools developed such as breast cancer risk assessment, bone marrow transplant prognosis, and pharmacogenomics. CAR T-cell and gene therapies are two milestones in the realm of advanced medical care—something which KFSHRC invests in not only for the treatment and a chance of a better quality of life for our patients but also the cost savings in the long term. For instance, with the success of enrolling some of the patient population of the Benege clinical trial in hemophilia B, KFSHRC saves nearly SAR 52.5 million in medication costs alone. As to CAR T, 58 therapies were performed, a 62% increase from 2022, and millions of savings resulting from treating our patients in Saudi Arabia instead of abroad.

KFSHRC’s investments are not only focused on medical developments and facilities. We believe that investing in medical education and training does not just benefit our workforce; it also acts as a catalyst for research and innovation in the healthcare sector. As we elevate the capabilities of our medical professionals, we are not only raising our own standards but also setting a benchmark for global healthcare excellence. We guided and prepared 2,993 medical trainees in 2023, graduated 374 residents and fellows, and accommodated 6,571 participants in our Simulation Center. The Training Center is underway and projected to be completed in 2024. This Center will meet our medium-term needs in line with the internal educational component of our academic strategy.

Our research efforts remain at the forefront, especially in the fields of genetics and neurosciences. Our studies on early autism diagnosis have led to improved diagnostic tools and early interventions, allowing patients to receive timely support. We have also identified novel genes responsible for rare Mendelian disorders and chronic inflammatory syndromes, enabling personalized treatments. Our Research Centre played an integral global role in advancing and pioneering some of the most innovative fields in modern medicine. It was with enormous pride that the KFSHRC team participated in the first Saudi mission to space by conducting a comparative investigation onboard the International Space Station (ISS) in 2023. Conducting research experiments in cell sciences designed by KFSHRC was one of our most ardent researchers, Rayyanah Barnawi, who became the first Arab female astronaut to space.

As an institution, we are steadily building our way to the top ranks. KFSHRC was listed 20th among global academic medical centers per Brand Finance, and the first ranked in Saudi Arabia per Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospitals list. We received several accolades in 2023, from the digital health most wired hospital to a Gold Stevie award, KFSHRC-Madinah gaining recognition for excellence in customer service, and our Patient Flow Command and Control Center Project placing among the top technology projects of the Project Management Institute- KSA. KFSHRC’s nearly five decades of service has certainly established its solid reputation. While our foundation is strong, it is crucial to acknowledge that our journey is far from over. Our pursuance of and efforts toward excellence will need to evolve, in fact, elevate, as we focus on the future of healthcare.

I thank the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s leadership, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, for their unwavering trust in KFSHRC. I also express my appreciation to the Chairman of the Board and the Board members for their guidance. To every personnel and patient at KFSHRC—thank you for believing in OUR hospital.

Dr. Majid Al Fayyadh

Chief Executive Officer