Saving lives: How doctor’s pledge drives KSrelief, Saudi humanitarian aid

Special Saving lives: How doctor’s pledge drives KSrelief, Saudi humanitarian aid
KSRelief Supervisor General Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah speaks to Arab News in Riyadh on Feb. 21, 2023. (AN Photo)
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Updated 07 March 2023

Saving lives: How doctor’s pledge drives KSrelief, Saudi humanitarian aid

Saving lives: How doctor’s pledge drives KSrelief, Saudi humanitarian aid
  • Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah is spearheading Saudi Arabia’s emergence as a humanitarian powerhouse 
  • The pediatric surgeon has separated 55 sets of conjoined twins from 23 countries since 1990

RIYADH: As the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, “the humanitarian arm of Saudi Arabia,” expands its global reach, many abroad may not know about a doctor’s care that drives the organization’s lifesaving assistance.

KSrelief was established by King Salman in 2015 with the aim of “delivering relief and aid to all in the world who are in need.” In April of that year, Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, a pediatric surgeon and adviser to the Saudi Royal Court, was appointed its supervisor-general.

This is not the first time that Al-Rabeeah has held public office. He has already served a term as the Kingdom’s health minister, headed a number of its major medical projects and institutions, and for the past 30 years has spearheaded a program that separates conjoined twins born into poor families.

Al-Rabeeah has separated so many children since his first such surgery in 1990 that on the occasions when he gathers them for Saudi Conjoined Twins Program reunion meetings, they can barely fit in one frame of one photo.

In those family photos are children from all over the world, some already adults, who remain in touch with the doctor who for many has become a parental figure as well — one who has given them a new chance in life.

He, too, regards them as his children.

“For me, every twin matters and I can tell you myself, and all of my colleagues, the team, they believe that those children are part of their family,” Al-Rabeeah told Arab News.

Young patients from 23 countries have benefited from his surgical skill.

Conjoined twins are a rare phenomenon, estimated to occur once in every 50,000 to 60,000 births, with a somewhat higher incidence in Southwest Asia and Africa.

Al-Rabeeah and his team have to date separated 55 sets of conjoined twins. Their last surgery took place in January, when they operated on Iraqi toddlers Ali and Omar, who were conjoined at the lower chest and abdomen, sharing a liver, bile ducts and intestines.

The six-phase operation at King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital in Riyadh took 11 hours, involving 27 doctors and nurses from different specialties.

Many previous surgeries were much longer and performed by even larger teams, depending on the point of attachment and the internal parts that the children shared.

Each case is different, but the emotional moment at the end of the surgery is always the same.

“After we do this operation, when the parents come running, their tears of happiness, this is truly what touches my heart,” Al-Rabeeah said. “We have seen it basically with every twin. We have seen it with the twins from Poland, from Yemen, from Iraq, from Saudi Arabia, from the Philippines.”

Most doctors try to maintain a distance from their patients, especially in cases when lives are at stake, as they fear their job may become too emotionally overwhelming.

For Al-Rabeeah, distance is impossible, especially when his patients are children. “I’m a strong believer that for a doctor to succeed, they have to treat their patients as part of their family,” he said.




Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah performs separation surgery on conjoined twins at King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital in Riyadh in 2022. (KSRelief)

“When you help, either save the life or improve the lives of children, especially conjoined twins, and you see them, how one body has become two bodies, one bed has become two beds ... I don’t think that’s something that you can forget easily. And for me it’s a lifelong bonding.”

Despite his increasing involvement in public service in Saudi Arabia over the years, Al-Rabeeah has never been off duty as a doctor, continuing to perform surgery even while serving as minister.

Medicine and saving lives is his calling — a path Al-Rabeeah would not change even if he could go back four decades to choose a different field.

“When I started studying medicine, I believed in it,” he said, recalling the time he joined the College of Medicine at King Saud University in Riyadh.

“When I selected the specialty of pediatric surgery, I believed in surgery, I believed in children ... When you do something, I always even teach (that) to my children: Don’t do anything unless you believe in it.”

His physician ethics are evident in Al-Rabeeah’s humanitarian work with KSrelief, which since its establishment has provided lifesaving emergency, food and medical assistance in 90 countries.




Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah and his team at King Abdullah Specialized Children’s Hospital in Riyadh in 2022. (KSRelief)

These interventions, worth more than $6 billion, have over the past eight years positioned Saudi Arabia as one of the world’s most generous humanitarian donors and fastest aid responders.

The substantial and timely nature of the Saudi emergency response was evident when devastating earthquakes hit southern Turkiye and northern Syria last month, killing more than 50,000 people. In some of the affected regions, KSrelief teams were the first foreign rescuers to arrive with emergency aid and medical care.

The humanitarian crisis in Turkiye and Syria has also put KSrelief’s mission of encouraging public participation and support for Saudi relief efforts in the limelight. In the weeks since it launched an online campaign for earthquake victims, KSrelief has collected more than $130 million in private donations.

“With respect to the Saudi (emergency) response in both Syria and Turkiye, I’m proud of it,” Al-Rabeeah told Arab News on the sidelines of the Riyadh International Humanitarian Forum, hosted by KSrelief and the UN in the Saudi capital in late February.

At the conference, Saudi Arabia pushed for strengthening communication between global aid actors and finding solutions to response challenges, at a time when the number of natural and man-made disasters seems to be on the rise.




Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah poses in 2010 with a group of conjoined twins he has operated on. (Supplied)

“We have seen an increasing number of conflicts, disasters and earthquakes, so we have to improve our response and be quicker,” Al-Rabeah said. “Coordination remains an issue, especially when there is an emergency response, and this is an area that has been also discussed — how we can be more coordinated than ever.”

With the number of projects and interventions increasing every year and with the support it enjoys from the Saudi government, KSRelief may in the future lead the way in improving global aid.

“KSRelief is the humanitarian arm of Saudi Arabia,” Al-Rabeeah said. “I foresee KSRelief in 10 years to be one of the very key and important players in the humanitarian field. Not only to provide aid, because everybody can provide aid, but to be also instrumental in the policymaking of aid, and in improving the quality of aid.”

And there is no overstating his dedication to the cause. “Nothing touches my heart more than helping people in need,” Al-Rabeah said. “I believe in it.”


King Abdulaziz Foundation, Boutique Group sign deal to preserve Saudi heritage and history

King Abdulaziz Foundation, Boutique Group sign deal to preserve Saudi heritage and history
Updated 30 May 2023

King Abdulaziz Foundation, Boutique Group sign deal to preserve Saudi heritage and history

King Abdulaziz Foundation, Boutique Group sign deal to preserve Saudi heritage and history
  • Focus on research, holding summits, exhibitions, workshops
  • ‘Aim to boost Kingdom as global tourist, culture destination’

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives and the Boutique Group, owned by the Public Investment Fund, have signed a memorandum of understanding to preserve the Kingdom’s “captivating history and legacy,” the group announced on Monday.

The agreement will cover research and the holding of various events, including on culture, literature and geography, at Tuwaiq Palace in the Diplomatic Quarter, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The memorandum was signed by CEO Turki Al-Showair on behalf of the foundation, also known as Darah, and CEO Mark DeCocinis, for the Boutique Group.

It includes collaboration on “scientific studies and research on the history of palaces and the essence of royal hospitality,” the Boutique Group said in a statement.

The deal includes holding summits, exhibitions and workshops, and spreading awareness through advertising, media campaigns and artworks.

Al-Showair said: “The Kingdom is proceeding on the path of rapid and deliberate development and progress, in accordance with the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030 and its inspiring programs.”

 

 

The agreement “aims to support the Boutique Group by providing reliable and steady historical content, in a way that contributes to preserving the Kingdom’s heritage.”

He said the pact was part of the Darah foundation’s commitment to fulfill its mission of serving the Kingdom through the preservation and publication of all relevant documentation.

Al-Showair said it would serve to introduce the country’s “glorious history and heritage rooted in the national identity that everyone cherishes.”

DeCocinis said the Kingdom has a rich, largely unexplored cultural history, which the deal would now make more widely available to the world.

The Boutique Group was set up to provide an authentic Saudi experience that contributes to supporting the local economy. Its mandate is to further enhance the Kingdom’s position as a global tourist destination by developing “historic and cultural palaces, and royal residences, into ultra-luxury boutique hotels.”


KSrelief continues providing healthcare services to Syrian refugees in Lebanon

KSrelief continues providing healthcare services to Syrian refugees in Lebanon
Updated 30 May 2023

KSrelief continues providing healthcare services to Syrian refugees in Lebanon

KSrelief continues providing healthcare services to Syrian refugees in Lebanon
  • KSrelief’s Arsal Medical Center in Baalbek delivered 9,456 services to 4,186 patients in April

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s aid agency has continued providing healthcare services to Syrian refugees and the host community in Lebanon.

The Arsal Medical Center in Baalbek, operating under King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), delivered 9,456 services to 4,186 patients in April.

“This initiative reflects Saudi Arabia’s commitment, represented by KSrelief, to provide humanitarian aid to those in need, particularly Syrian refugees, to alleviate their suffering in light of the ongoing humanitarian crisis they are facing,” state news agency SPA reported.

The aid agency continued its surgical voluntary program in Cameroon’s Maroua where 22 volunteer doctors have so far examined 605 cases and performed 303 operations.

The program, held in collaboration with Al-Balsam International Organization, will run until June 2.

In Yemen, KSrelief concluded its voluntary medical project for specialized clinics in family medicine, preventive medicine, and dermatology.

As part of the project, which took place in Mukalla from May 21 to May 28, KSrelief’s volunteer medical team served 1,794 individuals in the family medicine and preventive medicine clinics, and 1,079 individuals in the dermatology clinics.


Saudi project dismantles 875 Houthi mines in Yemen within one week

Saudi project dismantles 875 Houthi mines in Yemen within one week
Updated 30 May 2023

Saudi project dismantles 875 Houthi mines in Yemen within one week

Saudi project dismantles 875 Houthi mines in Yemen within one week

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Masam project dismantled 875 mines, planted by the Houthi militia across Yemen, in the last week of May.

Overseen by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), a specialist team removed 11 anti-personnel mines, 165 anti-tank mines, 686 unexploded ammunition, and 13 explosive devices, reported Saudi Press Agency (SPA).

In Aden, the team dismantled three anti-personnel mines, 11 anti-tank mines, 519 unexploded ammunition, and seven explosive devices.

The ongoing project aims to clear Yemeni lands of mines and save people’s lives, said the SPA statement.


Saudi Armed Forces launch ‘Eagle Resolve 23’ with GCC, US troops

Saudi Armed Forces launch ‘Eagle Resolve 23’ with GCC, US troops
Updated 30 May 2023

Saudi Armed Forces launch ‘Eagle Resolve 23’ with GCC, US troops

Saudi Armed Forces launch ‘Eagle Resolve 23’ with GCC, US troops

RIYADH: The Saudi Armed Forces launched a joint exercise on Sunday with the participation of forces from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the US, the Kingdom’s defense ministry announced on Monday.
The “Eagle Resolve 23” drill, which was launched at the Air Warfare Center in the Eastern Province, aims to enhance military cooperation, exchange expertise in the field of missile air defense and unify planning and implementation of procedures.
It will also consolidate the principles and foundations of coordination for joint action to reach a required operational compatibility and integration, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Brig. Gen. Uqab bin Awad Al-Mutairi, the commander of the duty force in the joint exercise, said the forces participating in the exercise will implement a number of theoretical and practical exercises, including air and missile operations with live ammunition, defensive counter-air operations, air-to-air refueling operations, and surface-to-naval warfare operations, electronic warfare, naval incursions, defense against weapons of mass destruction and mass casualties.
He added that the exercise is being implemented for the first time in the Kingdom, where preparatory meetings and academic lectures for the exercise began last week.
Prior to that, eight conferences were also held, seven of which were in Riyadh and another in Tampa, Florida in the US.


Japanese celebrity chef captures hearts in Riyadh

Japanese celebrity chef captures hearts in Riyadh
Updated 30 May 2023

Japanese celebrity chef captures hearts in Riyadh

Japanese celebrity chef captures hearts in Riyadh
  • Teruzushi — with 50 years of history across three generations of sushi chefs — is located in the small-town ward of Tobata in Northern Kyushu’s countryside

RIYADH: Famous Japanese sushi restaurant Teruzushi, based in the Northern Kyushu prefecture, has opened its first overseas branch in Riyadh.

Located in the luxury VIA Riyadh precinct, the restaurant held a pre-launch event on May 11.

The restaurant was already the subject of attention after VIA Riyadh released a commercial starring famous Colombian-US model and “Modern Family” star Sofia Vergara, who at one point during the clip had a huge knife pointed at her by famous Japanese chef Takayoshi Watanabe, who later serves the actress sushi.

Three Japanese chefs presenting authentic Japanese taste in the Via Riyadh Mercato area with the sushi and wagyu beef. (AN photo: Huda Bashatah)

Arab News Japan spoke to Junpei Moriya, a chef at Teruzushi. He began his career aged 18 close to Tokyo in Gunma prefecture, an area famous for its countryside hot spring resort (Kusatsu Onsen) and which boasts the largest flowing hot water volume in Japan.

Moriya, who will turn 30 this year, later moved to Tokyo to learn how to prepare kaiseki-ryori, a traditional multi-course Japanese dinner that requires fine technique and preparation.

He continued on that path for 10 years but one day sent an Instagram message to Watanabe to ask for an opportunity to work at Teruzushi. He worked for two years under the celebrity chef in Japan before being offered a position at the restaurant’s new outlet in the Kingdom.

“It all started when I helped my mother cook by making a little omelet. I was incredibly happy when I saw my mom’s happy face when I made her that omelet,” Moriya told Arab News Japan.

Teruzushi — with 50 years of history across three generations of sushi chefs — is located in the small-town ward of Tobata in Northern Kyushu’s countryside.

Watanabe chose Saudi Arabia as the ideal location for the restaurant’s first overseas venture because it offered a rare and once in a lifetime opportunity to do business in the Middle East.

The Riyadh outlet is located inside VIA Riyadh’s Via Mercato, a luxury food market concept that offers a variety of artisanal and specialty food products to enjoy at home or in the market itself.

There are three Japanese chefs in the Riyadh branch — Watanabe, nicknamed “Sushi Bae,” Moriya, also known as JP, and Haruhisa Kitagawa, nicknamed BB, who hails from Tokyo prefecture.

Moriya said that the lack of sushi culture in Saudi Arabia offers an opportunity for the Japanese chefs to showcase their work, adding that he looks forward to the day when the raw fish dishes are accepted in the Kingdom.

“The most liked sushi is salmon, and tuna is extremely popular as well. As most Saudis like spicy food, yuzu pepper is popular, too,’’ he said.

“At Teruzushi, the food is divided into four seasons resembling the beautiful four seasons in Japan, and I feel that the seasons are one of the best things about Japan,” he added.

The restaurant changes its menu and ingredients with each passing season. (AN photo: Huda Bashatah)

The restaurant changes its menu and ingredients with each passing season, with the exception of Watanabe’s favorite dish, kuru (grouper fish), which is a mainstay of the celebrity chef’s videos on TikTok and Instagram.

“By having more Japanese food spreading, people understand how simple and delicious it tastes. That way Saudi people would want to come sightseeing in Japan,” Moriya said.