In the presence of Her Excellency Dr Shaikha Rana bint Isa bin Duaij Al Khalifa, Former Secretary General of the Higher Education Council and Deputy Chairperson of the Higher Education Council Board of Trustees, RCSI Bahrain signed an inaugural agreement with the Kuwait Ministry of Higher Education, which places RCSI Bahrain in the Ministry’s yearly scholarship plan for its students.

The agreement was signed at formal ceremonies in both RCSI in Dublin and RCSI Bahrain. The agreement represents a further strengthening of relations between the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and the Kuwait Ministry of Higher Education. Present at the signing ceremony in Dublin was the Vice Chancellor & CEO/Registrar of RCSI Dublin, Professor Cathal Kelly who was joined by the Head of the Kuwait Cultural Office in Dublin and Cultural Counsellor, Professor Fahimah Alawadhi. 

Present at the ceremony in Bahrain was the President of RCSI Bahrain, Professor Sameer Otoom, and Professor Mohamed AlDughaim, Head of Kuwait Cultural Office of the Kuwait Embassy in Bahrain. Under the terms of the agreement, the Kuwait Ministry of Higher Education will guarantee a set number of placements for Kuwaiti students to attend RCSI Bahrain’s undergraduate medicine programme. The agreement mirrors an existing agreement which had been in place with RCSI in Dublin since 2011.

Professor Otoom commented, “RCSI Bahrain is pleased to have reached yet another milestone in its strong and collaborative relationship with the Ministry of Higher Education in Kuwait and we are keen on developing it further. With our accreditation standards and a world-renowned curriculum, RCSI Bahrain graduates attain a level of knowledge and clinical experience to support the development of national healthcare programmes in the Gulf countries and worldwide.”

Professor AlDughaim commented, “The agreement with RCSI Bahrain is a great achievement and comes as a culmination of years of work and cooperation with the Ministry of Higher Education in Kuwait. It is a testament to the strength of the relationship between both institutions and the high quality of education offered at RCSI Bahrain.”

The agreement signing was attended by Mr Abd Al Hameed Al Hassan, Cultural Attaché Assistant, and Ms Manal Khalil, Academic Advisor from the Kuwait Cultural Office. From RCSI Bahrain, the meeting was attended by Professor Alfred Nicholson, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Head of School of Medicine; Dr Kathryn Strachan, Director of Quality and Academic Development; Professor Naji Alamuddin, Associate Professor in Medicine & Deputy Head of School of Medicine; Mr Fadi Ghosn, Head of Recognition, Careers and Alumni; Mr Adam Wallace, Head of Marketing, Communications, Student Recruitment and Admissions; and Mr Gary Brady, Head of Human Resources & ICT.