Under the auspices of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, His Excellency the Minister of Health and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCHS), Eng. Khalid bin Abdulaziz al-Falih, announced yesterday evening the graduation of 1200 physicians, pharmacists, nurses and diploma holders (those who have got the Saudi Certificate of Competence). He made this announcement during the commencement ceremony of the 18th batch held by the SCHS at the main auditorium of Riyadh-based King Fahad Cultural Center.
The celebration started by reviewing the graduates’ march, after which the graduates’ address was delivered. It followed that His Excellency the SCHS Secretary General, Dr. Abdulaziz bin Hassan al-Saegh delivered his word, saying, “With pride and gratitude, it is my pleasure to extend the loftiest and most sincere thanks to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz, may Allah protect him, for his generous patronage of this ceremony.” He added, “It is such munificent patronage that embodies his staunch and gracious support for his subjects, in a manner that serves and benefits our beloved Kingdom. It is noteworthy here that particular emphasis is placed upon the health sector by the Saudi government. It goes without saying, besides, that this patronage is deemed to be an honor for all those affiliated to the health sector in general, and the SCHS in particular.”
As a matter of fact, the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCHS) is reckoned one of the most outstanding hallmarks of the Saudi health sector. It is one of the major pillars of developing health human resources. That said, the Commission spares no effort to expand its work to meet the increased demand, and make better use of the rising number of the highly qualified health professionals.
His Excellency the Minister of Health and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCHS), Eng. Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al Falih, delivered a speech on this occasion, in which he said, “It is a great occasion, through which our leader, May Allah protect him, pushes his sons towards more glory and pride. This gesture can be clearly reflected in the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' keenness on sponsoring and participating in the graduation ceremony of this batch. In fact, such patronage adds a sense of pride to the health sector in the Kingdom, which enjoys plenty of achievements, the matter that should be attributed to our Almighty Allah in the first place, and then to the continuous and generous support and follow-up of the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, May Allah protect him."
"Our wise government, May Allah support it, has paid great attention to the educational march in all aspects of life, particularly in the field of health higher education and rehabilitation with the aim of having a sufficient number of Saudi trained manpower and making use of qualified cadres in a manner that benefits the nation and the citizen alike," he said.
"On this unforgettable day," Eng. Al Falih said, "the Kingdom celebrates the graduation of a new batch of holders of the Saudi Specialty Certificate and Diploma, wishing that they could play a role in building and developing their society, which is eager to achieve development and advancement; that's to be added to completing the comprehensive renaissance project, whose features can be clearly seen in this dear country and touched by everyone living on the soil of this blessed land."
Eng. Al Falih underlined that this achievement comes to culminate efforts exerted by the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, May Allah protect him, adding that the Saudi Commission of Health Specialties is pleased and honored to see the biggest batch in its history graduating and obtaining the Saudi Specialty Certificates to complete the successful march of the Saudi male/female physicians at all domestic and international forums.
"On this blessed day," Eng. Falih said, "we witness a great achievement that reflects the magnitude of this tremendous progress, as the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties celebrates the graduation of the eighteenth batch of doctors, dentists and pharmacists who obtained the Saudi Specialty Certificate, as well as holders of the Health Specialty Diploma, totaling more than 1,200 graduates. Thus, the total number of graduates from the Commission since its establishment hits over 7,152 male/female graduates."
He added that some of those graduates came from a number of friendly, Islamic and brotherly countries, such as Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Sudan, Jordan, Palestine, Yemen, Pakistan, Syria, Egypt, Iraq, India, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, and Eritrea.
"The Commission is eager, Allah willing, to complete its ambitious march to reach its specific goals in this important area, i.e. the field of health specialty training," Eng. Falih said, adding that the Commission managed, thanks to Allah in the first place and then to patronage of Saudi governors, may Allah protect them, as well as efforts of the loyal people of this country and unprecedented cooperation among various health sectors in Saudi Arabia, to prepare and organize 77 effective and ambitious training programs on the Saudi Specialty Certificate (Board), and supervise 32 others under the Saudi fellowship in agreements with a number of health authorities; that's to be added to four other diplomas.
"The Commission was also tasked with forming the boards and committees of such programs, making use of highly-qualified Saudi cadres," Eng. Falih was quoted as concluding.
After that, Eng. Al Falih honored the holders of honorary specialty certificates and graduates with high grades. At the end of the ceremony, the Secretary General of the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, Dr. Abdulaziz bin Hassan Al-Saegh, awarded the Minister of Health a shield on this occasion.