King Saud University Medical City secures win at Healthcare Asia Awards 2026

Its strategic engineering and governance initiatives enhance hospital efficiency and patient care across the medical city.

King Saud University Medical City won the Facilities Improvement Initiative of the Year - Saudi Arabia and Management Innovation of the Year - Saudi Arabia at the Healthcare Asia Awards 2026, in recognition of transformative initiatives that significantly enhanced operational efficiency, governance, and patient safety across its multi-hospital campus.

The first initiative focused on optimising the Pneumatic Tube System (PTS)—a mission-critical infrastructure that supports the rapid transport of laboratory samples, medications, blood products, and clinical documentation. Between 2017 and 2022, PTS demand increased substantially, with monthly transactions rising from approximately 7,000 to over 20,000 due to the expansion of clinical services. Rather than pursuing a capital-intensive system expansion exceeding SAR5m, the organisation implemented a strategic, facilities-led optimisation approach.

This initiative included comprehensive mapping of system routes, reconfiguration of stations, operational process improvements, and targeted staff training to minimise misuse and disruptions. In addition, preventive maintenance protocols and advanced monitoring mechanisms were introduced to ensure sustained performance.

As a result, system capacity improved significantly, achieving more than a fivefold increase in throughput, with transactions exceeding 37,000 per month by 2024. This led to faster laboratory turnaround times, enhanced reliability in specimen transport, and smoother clinical workflows—whilst avoiding substantial capital expenditure and reinforcing a culture of operational excellence and innovation.

Then, the second initiative established an enterprise-wide Corrective Action Plan (CAP) Governance Dashboard, transforming engineering, safety, and quality performance management across the medical city. Previously, corrective actions were tracked through separate spreadsheets and manual follow-ups, resulting in limited visibility and delayed closures.

The CAP Dashboard centralised all corrective actions, categorising them by risk, ownership, timeline, and regulatory relevance. Automated escalations ensured unresolved actions reached the appropriate leadership levels. The system allowed executives and engineering teams to monitor trends, prioritise interventions, and allocate resources based on real-time data. This approach improved accountability, accelerated closure rates, reduced repeat findings, and embedded a culture of proactive risk management aligned with international governance practices.

Healthcare Asia Awards is an awards programme focused on acknowledging exceptional hospitals across Asia that redefine the standards of excellence in the healthcare industry. It proudly shines a spotlight for Asian hospitals that consistently go beyond conventional boundaries to provide top-tier patient care and have a lasting impact on their local communities.

The Healthcare Asia Awards is presented by Healthcare Asia Magazine. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2027 awards programme and be acclaimed for your organisation's remarkable initiatives and contributions to the healthcare industry, please contact Julie Anne Nuñez-Difuntorum at [email protected].