On behalf of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, May Allâh protect him, His Excellency the Minister of Health, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCHS), Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, attended today the graduation ceremony of the fifteenth batch of physicians, dentists and pharmacists, those who got the Saudi Specialty Certificate (PhD degree). The ceremony was held under Dr. Al-Rabeeah's auspices at King Fahad Cultural Center, Riyadh.
The ceremony started with a sublime Qur'anic recitation, after which Dr. Aziza Al-Hubail delivered the Saudi graduates' speech. She made clear that the fifteenth batch of the Saudi Specialty Certificate holders is an evident embodiment of the enormous potential provided by our Prudent Government for the interest of our citizens.
As for graduates from friend and sister states, Dr. Tarik Al-Etaibi, from Kuwait, delivered a speech on their behalf. Then, the Secretary-General of the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, Dr. Abdulaziz bin Hassan Al-Saegh, in which he expressed his deepest and sincerest thanks to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for his gracious patronage of the graduation ceremony. He said, “Today, we're witnessing an achievement that reflects the tremendous development in one of the essential aspects of life; namely the health sector. The Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCHS) is celebrating the graduation of the 15th batch of physicians, dentists and pharmacists holding the Saudi Specialty Certificate. The number of this batch's graduates is 658 physicians and pharmacists. The culminative number of graduates since the inception of the commission is 4234, in 56 health specialties. Graduates, thus, have acquired a variety of skills, all harnessed to the service of their religion, in the first place, and their Kingdom.”
After that, His Excellency the Minister of Health delivered an address before the ceremony in which he extended the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' greeting to attendees. He was quoted as saying, “It is a great honor for me that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques has chosen me to speak on his behalf in this ceremony. He assigned me to extend his congratulations to all graduates (of both genders) for this sparkling success and peculiar achievement.”
Dr. Al-Rabeeah pointed out that the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques for this ceremony indicates his keen interest in education and health, which are reckoned the two fundamental pillars of the development process in action in our beloved Kingdom, with the guidance of Allâh, in the first place, and, thereafter, thanks to the wise policies embraced by our Prudent Government, as well as the colossal efforts exerted by the Kingdom's devoted sons and daughters.
Dr. Al-Rabeeah went on to say that the Ministry of Higher Education makes significant efforts to increase the number of admissions of the colleges of applied and medical sciences. This, according to SCHS, gave rise to medical professions in the Kingdom over the recent years.
“Nonetheless,” said Dr. Al-Rabeeah, “the Saudi Health Sector is still in need of national health cadres in the years to come. The Kingdom has become like a polestar in the scientific domain, and the destination of health trainees form all over the Arab World and friend countries. The Saudi Board, for example, has become an essential requirement in many countries.”
It didn't escape Dr. Al-Rabeeah's notice to communicate the greetings and congratulations of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to graduates: 658 doctors, out of whom 98 doctors are from the GCC countries, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Sudan, Lebanon, Palestine, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Britain, Russia and India. This could be seen as an apt reason for optimism that we will have highly qualified health cadres; and this will be undoubtedly reflected in the development of health services, thus reaffirming the position of the Kingdom as a source of culture, science, knowledge and creativity.
“By means of the plans set over the past years,” Dr. Al-Rabeeah continued, “we're pursuing vigorously along the path towards achieving sufficiency of highly qualified national cadres in all the health specialties demanded by the health sector. These cadres are considered the optimal investment of our dear country.”
He further expounded that the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCHS) is committed to the enforcement of the international standards that have to do with health educational and training outcomes, as well as the safe and secure health practice. It is, therefore, of pivotal importance to maintain these standards and cooperate in the adoption of registration and accreditation systems.
As his address drew to an end, Dr. Al-Rabeeah said, “It is a pleasure for us to have graduates from the GCC countries and other Arab sister states. In the meantime, this reflects and indicates the great educational and health achievements accomplished by our Kingdom.”
Following that, His Excellency the Minister of Health, Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah honored those holding First Class Honors, and received a memorial shield from the Secretary-General of SCHS, Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Saegh.