RIYADH, 1 January 2004 — Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, has ordered the establishment of a new world-class college of medicine in Riyadh, it was announced here yesterday.
The announcement came after the crown prince laid the foundation stone for an SR100-million nursing college in the capital city.
“Crown Prince Abdullah has already given instructions to establish the new college of medicine,” said Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabea, director general for health affairs at the National Guard. He said the two colleges would operate under the umbrella of King Abdul Aziz Academy of Health Sciences.
Dr. Al-Rabea said the new college of medicine would follow the integrated medical education system practiced by reputed universities such as Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge and Manchester.
The ceremony was attended by Prince Badr, deputy commander of the National Guard, Prince Nawaf, director of intelligence, Riyadh Governor Prince Salman, Prince Miteb, assistant deputy commander of the National Guard for military affairs, other princes, ministers and senior officials.
Earlier, Prince Abdullah was given a presentation on the nursing college project.
Referring to the nursing college project, Dr. Al-Rabea said it was part of an ambitious plan of the National Guard, which renders cultural and medical services in addition to its efforts in defending the country.
The National Guard, which runs many hospitals and medical centers, planned to set up the nursing college mainly with the aim of phasing out expatriate nurses. Besides three major hospitals in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, the National Guard operates mobile field hospitals and clinics in remote areas.
The nursing college is located at the King Abdul Aziz National Guard Medical City and is designed to accommodate 1,000 female students.
Saudi Arabia currently requires 100,000 male and female nurses. “Saudi doctors account for only 20 percent of the total number of doctors in the Kingdom,” Dr. Al-Rabea said quoting a study.
The college’s construction work will be completed within two-and-a-half years. It will admit 300 students in each academic session. The project includes dormitories for 500 students, classrooms, lecture halls and laboratories.
A nursing college opened by the National Guard two years ago at temporary premises currently accommodates 286 students. The first batch of 17 students will graduate next summer.
