RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman inaugurated eight housing projects as well as medical treatment for employees of the Ministry of Defense, the state news agency SPA reported on Sunday. The initiative is part of new development projects implemented and recently completed by the ministry at a cost of more than SR4 billion ($1.066 billion). The initiative includes six housing projects that provide 3,797 housing units, comprising of the King Saud Base housing project in Hafr Al-Batin, the armed forces housing project in the northwestern region, the housing project for the families of the King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Center for Mountain Warfare in Taif, and the armed forces housing project in Sharurah, in addition to the first phase of the armed forces housing project in Jazan and the second phase of the armed forces housing project in the Eastern Province. The crown prince also inaugurated a number of medical development projects, including one to establish a heart center in the Armed Forces Hospital in the northwest with a capacity of 130 beds, and the expansion of the Prince Sultan Armed Forces Hospital in Madinah, which will increase bed capacity to 100 beds. The expansion will also add 10 intensive care units, operating rooms equipped with the latest medical equipment, and emergency, radiology, laboratory and pharmacy departments, as well as a blood bank. Dr. Khaled bin Hussein Al-Biyari, assistant minister of defense for executive affairs, said that completion and inauguration of these projects was an implementation of the prince’s directives, and was within the framework of his concern for the armed forces and for providing adequate housing and integrated health care for its employees. Al-Biyari said that these projects were part of a series of programs to secure housing units for employees of the armed forces according to the best standards, design specifications and implementation. The aim is to develop and expand existing health facilities and support them with the latest medical and technical equipment to achieve the strategic objectives of the Ministry of Defense’s development program, in line with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030.