King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center: Leadership in Neurosciences and Comprehensive Specialized Care

Hospital Introduction: A Symbol of Medical Excellence in the Middle East

King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center (KFSH&RC) is one of the most prominent non-profit tertiary and quaternary care centers in Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East. Defining its mission as providing the highest level of specialized care within an educational and research framework, the hospital has, since its official opening in 1975, grown into a vast institution with more than 1,600 hospital beds, serving approximately 1.9 million outpatient visits annually. Its 229th position in Newsweek’s 2024 ranking of the World’s Best Hospitals, as well as its second-place ranking in the Middle East, reflects the institution’s international standards.

With government backing and a non-profit structure, KFSH&RC serves patients from 67 countries through its three main branches in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Madinah. Its workforce includes more than 16,000 specialists from 63 different nationalities, reflecting the cultural diversity and global standards that define the institution. The hospital also holds prestigious international accreditations such as JCI, demonstrating excellence in treatment quality, patient safety, and management systems at a high level.

Core Specialty Areas: A Leading Hub for Neurosciences and Mental Health

KFSH&RC is internationally recognized in complex fields such as organ transplantation, oncology, cardiovascular diseases, genomics, and especially neurosciences. The center not only provides some of the most advanced neurosurgical and neurological services, but its Department of Mental Health also serves as a core component, delivering a comprehensive system for supporting patients’ neuropsychological well-being.

The Department of Mental Health, as a vital part of the hospital’s clinical services, provides comprehensive psychiatric and psychological support, with particular focus on patients in organ transplant units (liver, kidney, heart, lung) and oncology. The department operates through a multidisciplinary team composed of psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, therapists, and education specialists. Its key objectives are:

• Providing timely diagnosis and treatment for eligible patients
• Increasing access to psychiatric services for the inpatient population
• Removing the stigma associated with mental illness through education
• Advancing high-quality education and research

Scope of Specialized Services in the Department of Mental Health:

• Specialty outpatient clinic services: screening, diagnosis, and treatment for internally and externally referred patients
• Emergency and consultation-liaison services: immediate psychiatric evaluation and multidisciplinary consultation across the hospital
• Education and specialized training: training medical students, residents, and medical staff

Subspecialty areas covered include:

• Child and adolescent psychiatry
• Adult psychiatry
• Geriatric psychiatry
• Consultation-liaison psychiatry
• Clinical neuropsychology
• Clinical psychology
• Special focus areas: mood disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, breast cancer psychology, and mental health care related to kidney and liver transplantation

Distinguished and International Clinical Team

KFSH&RC hosts a group of some of the world’s leading physicians, all of whom hold high qualifications and international experience in their subspecialties. The treatment approach at this center is based on multidisciplinary teamwork, ensuring that every patient receives a personalized treatment plan developed collaboratively by surgeons, internists, oncologists, psychiatrists, psychologists, specialist nurses, and physiotherapists.

The Find a Doctor online tool on the hospital’s website enables patients and their companions to easily search each physician’s credentials, specialty, and department, and to make informed decisions by viewing patient reviews.

Representative structure of specialist teams (based on the hospital’s main departments):

• Neurosciences and Mental Health Team: composed of experienced neurosurgeons, neurologists, neuroradiologists, consultant psychiatrists, and clinical neuropsychologists. They specialize in managing complex brain and spine disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, epilepsy, stroke, and a wide range of psychiatric disorders.
• Organ Transplant Team: As a global pioneer in transplantation, this team has experience performing the world’s first living-donor liver transplant and the world’s first fully robotic heart transplant. The team includes transplant surgeons, liver, kidney, and heart specialists, transplant coordinators, and mental health support specialists.
• Comprehensive Cancer Care Team: Under the guidance of leading centers such as the King Fahad National Center for Children’s Cancer, this team brings together surgical oncology specialists, medical oncologists, radiation oncology experts, hematologists, cancer pathologists, and palliative care specialists, with a focus on advanced treatments including CAR-T cell therapy.
• Genomics and Rare Diseases Team: Supported by a College of American Pathologists-accredited Genomics Center, this team provides precise diagnosis and personalized treatment for genetic diseases using advanced technologies such as whole genome sequencing.

Leadership: Dr. Majid Ibrahim Alfayyadh currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of KFSH&RC.

World-Class Medical Facilities and Innovative Technologies

The hospital’s main campus in Riyadh, spanning approximately 1 million square meters, is a true medical city. The hospital continues to invest in the most advanced medical technologies:

• Precision surgical technologies: equipped with state-of-the-art robotic surgery systems that are successfully used in complex organ transplantation procedures.
• Advanced diagnostic imaging: including PET, high-field MRI, and advanced CT scanning for accurate and early diagnosis.
• Flagship specialty centers: such as the independent King Fahad Center for Children’s Cancer, the King Abdullah Center for Cancer and Liver Diseases, and the specialized Genomics Center.
• Simulation training center: featuring an American Heart Association-accredited training center for delivering advanced education to specialists.

Integrated Patient Services and Contact Channels

KFSH&RC is committed to providing a seamless experience for both domestic and international patients.

Main Contact Channels:

• Main branch address: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Takhasosi Street 3354, Postal Code 11211.
• Unified contact number: +966-7272-464 (by dialing extension 36508)
• Official website: http://www.kfshrc.edu.sa (the gateway to the most reliable information, the “Find a Doctor” tool, and online services)
• Email: For specific matters, the relevant department can be contacted through the website.

Easy Digital Services:

• Altakhassusi App: Through this official application, patients can access a wide range of electronic services, including appointment booking, viewing medical reports and laboratory results, managing medication refills, and reviewing vaccination records.
• Online patient portal: full access to the patient portal and the supplier portal.

Hospital Branch Network:

• Main Riyadh Branch: the primary base, offering the most comprehensive tertiary and quaternary care services.
• Jeddah Branch: a major branch with 500 beds serving the western region of Saudi Arabia.
• Madinah Branch: with 300 beds, opened in 2019, expanding advanced specialized services to the holy city of Madinah and surrounding areas.

Education and Research: Shaping the Future of Medicine

KFSH&RC regards clinical care, medical education, and scientific research as inseparable pillars. In close collaboration with leading universities, the center offers residency and postdoctoral fellowship training programs. Its research focus includes key areas such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, stem cell therapy, and genetics, with the goal of translating laboratory findings into clinical applications as quickly as possible.

Community Engagement and Global Collaborations

Beyond treatment, KFSH&RC gives back to society through the “Bakhshish” initiative, encouraging the public to participate in volunteer activities, charitable giving, blood donation, and stem cell donation. The hospital also maintains strategic partnerships with leading global institutions such as the Johns Hopkins Medicine International, Mayo Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital, and MIT, and continues to advance global healthcare standards through knowledge exchange and joint research.