The Medical College at King Khalid University, Abha, was established by the Royal Decree No. 3/M/3806 on 19/2/1400H, as the fourth Medical College in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This was followed by the Royal Decree No. 1528 on 29/6/1401H annexing the College to King Saud University in Riyadh. However, when King Khalid University was established in 1419H, the College of Medicine became apart of it. In the year 1420H, King Khalid University Board agreed to start teaching the Applied Medical Sciences Programs and the College became known as "College of Medicine and Applied Medical Sciences". However, following the expansion in the activities of King Khalid University, the Applied Medical Sciences formed a separate College in 1424H and the College of Medicine regained its original name.
Keeping pace with the development in Medical Education, the College established the Medical Education Development Center to undertake the task of developing the medical educational curriculum, as it is planned to move towards the semester system instead of the annual system. This is beside the addition of modern courses, such as Molecular Medicine, Evidence-Based Medicine, and the use of the Simulator in undergraduate clinical teaching.
Contributing towards the well being of the local society, consultant members of the College staff are offering their services to local medical establishments and facilities. These include Assir Central Hospital, Abha General Hospital, Armed Forces Hospitals Southern Region at Khamis Mushayt, Khamis Mushayt Hospital (Ministry of Health), and Primary Care Centers in the Assir Region. They also supervise important centers like the Anti-TB Clinics and Infectious Diseases Clinic. Trained college staff is involved in conducting Health Awareness Tours in remote areas in Assir Province.
The college expands its activities beyond the Region's territory to the rest of the Kingdom and in the actual participation in the development of Medical Education and Health Services. It houses The Saudi Society of Medical Education. The College has an outstanding record of medical research, both qualitative and quantitative, which has led to a tangible positive effect on the overall medical research in the Kingdom.
The college has also a Center for Postgraduate and Continuing Medical Education, which is supervising the eight fellowship programs of the Saudi Commission For Health Specialties, in addition to courses in Continuing Medical Education.