MANAMA, 14 March 2006 — The foundation was officially laid with ceremonious placement of the first stone for the new Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland-Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI-MUB) campus on Bahrain’s Musharraq Island yesterday.
Bahrain’s Prime Minister Sheikh Khalifa ibn Salman Al-Khalifa and Irish Deputy Prime Minister Mary Harney jointly presided over the ceremony.
The new campus, which is expected to be operational by 2007, replaces MUB’s current premises located in Bahrain’s capital Manama. The university’s location beside the upcoming King Hamad General Hospital, also currently under construction, will make it a key component of the new Health Oasis, an International Center of Excellence for the region being jointly developed by the RCSI and the government of Bahrain. The 10-million-dinar campus will occupy an area of 90,000 square meters and will be built in phases.
“The MUB is already an important educational and training center in the region and this new state-of-the-art campus will only enhance its position,” said Michael Horgan, chief executive, RCSI. “The majority of clinical teaching will take place at the King Hamad General Hospital, which will boast some of the most advanced medical facilities in the region.”
The Health Oasis will include a cluster of private and public health care facilities, including cardiology and cardiac surgery, cancer, mental health, dependency, neurosurgery, ophthalmology and infertility treatments, and imaging systems.
Meanwhile, top health care industry professionals from across the GCC and Ireland are taking part in the RCSI-MUB 9th Overseas Medical Meeting being held here through tomorrow. The Bahrain prime minister, also an honorary fellow of RCSI, opened the meeting in the presence of the Irish deputy prime minister at the Ritz Carlton Bahrain Hotel and Spa. The meeting will highlight the latest advances in medical practice with over 300 delegates in attendance. Over 80 keynote speakers will present papers on various topics.
