RIYADH, 23 April 2007 — Alfaisal University and the Security Forces Hospital yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding that will mark the beginning of a research and academic collaboration between the two institutions. The MOU underlines the areas of cooperation between the two organizations, which include medical studies, research and training, that will eventually fuel the growth of the Saudi education sector.
Addressing a press conference yesterday, Prince Bander ibn Saud K. Al-Saud, chairman of the university’s board of trustees, said: “The doors of the university will be open to foreign students, including those outside the country.”
Prince Bandar signed the MOU with Dr. Adnan Bakr Mufti, general director of the Security Forces Hospital Program (SFHP). Prince Bander said the agreement would benefit Alfaisal University, which will be a world-class institution of higher learning and research. Initially, it will have four faculties for science, business, medicine and engineering, and will have a capacity to accommodate 4,000 students.
The university, which has embarked on a program to tie up with internationally renowned institutions and universities around the globe, is set to open its campus in September 2007. “The hospital will allow several medical and postgraduate students to be trained in its diagnostic, educational, laboratory and other support facilities,” Prince Bander and Dr. Mufti said in a joint statement.
“In addition, the hospital staff will contribute to the preparation and development of curriculum and learning methodologies in preclinical and clinical stages,” said the prince, adding that the hospital will also provide organizational support services for this collaboration.
“This partnership unites two major institutions recognized in this country as national centers of excellence,” he said.
According to senior officials who attended the signing ceremony, the university would initially accommodate around 200 students who would enroll in science and technology courses,
The SFH is one of the leading health care providers in the Kingdom. Founded in 1984 with an aim to provide health care services to the employees of the Interior Ministry, the mission of this 500-bed hospital is to promote health education, research and human resource development.
The hospital is recognized as an educational center by many local and international medical institutions including the Canadian Council for Medical Services. It has on its payroll a multinational staff of over 2,400 employees.
