In a grand international ceremony organized in London on Thursday July 12, 2007, Dr. Tawfeeq Ahmed Khoja, the Director General of the Executive Bureau of the GCC Council of Ministers of Health, has been offered the fellowship of the British Royal College of Physicians (FRCP), one of the highest certificates in the field. Dr. Khoja delivered a speech in the ceremony in which he expressed his appreciation for the honor of being offered this highly respectable medical award. He referred to the importance of consolidating the relationship between the British Royal colleges and all GCC ministries of health and other medical bodies through exchanging visits and strengthening cooperation. On his part, the RCP President Dr. Iyan Gilmore praised the great achievements realized by the GCC countries in the field of health. He especially denoted the great role being played by Dr. Khoja in coordinating GCC cooperative health work and the pioneering health initiatives he has been leading for improving health policies.
Dr. Khoja has been offered the Fellowship on the basis of a thorough scrutiny of his medical CV and research activities as well as his efforts in promoting health quality standards at all GCC, Eastern Mediterranean, and international levels. The GCC programs in the field of primary health care, health quality, patients safety, and disease combating has risen to a level comparable to the best international levels. He has built effective partnerships with a number of international and regional health organizations. He is the author of more than 35 books and medical guidelines. He has conducted about 60 research studies in his field of specialty. He is the holder of a number of medals and has been chosen as one of the best 100 international personalities in the field of primary health care. Finally, Dr. Khoja is the Fellow of the British Royal College of General Practitioners (FRCGP) since 1989 and the British Faculty of Public Health (FFPH) since 2003.
Founded in 1518, the Royal College of Physicians is one of the most active medical professional organizations. Its fellowship and membership belong to a wide range of different international medical domains. It has a founding charter aiming at improving and upholding medical exercise and preserving its ethics. It has established a number of sets of standards in clinical exercise, medical education and training, medical evaluation and tests, testing health quality, supporting physicians, and providing consultations to governments, the public, and medical professionals in the fields of health care.