RIYADH, 14 May 2008 — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah yesterday attended a National Guard ceremony during which he laid the foundation stone for the King Saud University for Health Sciences. The establishment of the university was approved in March 2005.
Five projects were announced at the stone-laying ceremony: the university’s campuses in Riyadh, Jeddah and Al-Ahsa, the King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital and the King Abdullah International Research Center.
The ceremony started with the recitation of the Qur’an followed by a speech by Prince Miteb ibn Abdullah, assistant commander of the National Guard for military affairs, in which he spoke about the beginnings of the National Guard and its development.
“This is a civilization eternalized by history. It started with one man and ended in becoming a landmark in the world of health care,” he said. “The mission was handled with a great sense of patriotism... This is what King Abdullah aims for. It is about preparing a qualified national cadre to serve the country,” he said.
He also pointed out the significance of spreading knowledge, as Saudi Arabia is considered one of the leaders in the field of medicine, especially when it comes to separating conjoined twins. “It is a great honor to teach our people to serve themselves and to become what they actually want to be,” he said.
“Services provided by the National Guard hospitals are regarded as part of the national heritage. So whatever we give should be of a high standard... this is the Kingdom of Humanity,” he added.
The prince said that the ultimate goal of having these institutions was to create a scientific base for learners and researchers to become inventors of new technology.
Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, executive president of the National Guard Health Affairs, thanked King Abdullah for approving the university. “King Abdullah has been known for a long time for his passion to improve everything, especially the National Guard and its health affairs,” he said.
“Today we celebrate two important events: the laying of the foundation stone for the King Saud University and the graduation of a number of students in medical field,” Al-Rabeeah said.
“This is a day to be marked in history... as we are about to establish legendary facilities that will provide highly standardized medical services with the resources available and the qualified national cadres to-be,” he said.
Spread over an area of five million square meters close to the King Abdul Aziz Medical City in Riyadh, the new university campus will comprise the King Abdullah International Research Center, a children’s hospital, a college of nursing and allied medical sciences, a college of public health and health informatics, a medical museum, a conference center and an academic district for girls, in addition to departments relating to academic affairs, training and development.
The King Abdullah International Research Center will be established in an area of 35,000 square meters to create a specialized environment for medical research. In addition, a specialized children’s hospital with a capacity of 350 beds will be established on an area of 82,000 square meters.
The project are expected be completed in three years.
The university focuses on establishing a deeper understating of knowledge that will employ academic output to meet requirements of the country’s health care sector. Its target is to prepare highly qualified cadres equipped with the needed knowledge and experience to cope with the universal standards of medicine. It also intends to construct a solid base of communication between each major in campuses, employing all means of technology available.
