A Message from the CEO




HE Qasim Al Qasabi, MD, FRCSI, FACS
Chief Executive Officer

 Dear Staff,

The April Sandscript brings you information about the ongoing development of King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre and the work being done by our colleagues in both Riyadh and Jeddah. A number of educational programs and celebratory ceremonies are talked about inside this issue.

On 24 March 2012, the Hospital launched an awareness campaign for colorectal cancer with a five-day International Colorectal Conference. This meeting brought together national and international speakes on a range of topics related to the latest treatments for colon cancer. See the story and accompanying photos for the details.

The 2nd International Conference of Emergency Medicine fo Children, a three-day meeting organized in collaboration with the American Academy of Pediatrics was held in March. Local and international speakers provided significant new infomation about the emergency care of children.

You can also read about the Graduation Ceremony for the Medical Fellowship and Residency Training Programs held on 13 March 2012 in Prince Salman Auditorium. Academic and Trainng Affairs graduated their 26th group of Fellows and Residents. This story will tell you how the scope of programs and the number of residents has grown dramaticaly since the inception of their postgraduate training 25 years ago.

Then, a wonderful story about the Organ Transplant Recognition Day, which took place on 12 March, shares details about the ceremony and a discusion of our clinical work. We can all be proud of the accomplishments of the Organ Transplant Center, as all of us have contributed to the phenomenal growth in patient volumes and in the high qulity of care provided.

I know that you have witnessed the modifications to the multilevel parking structure adjacent to ITA and are aware of the new tube connecting the east and west hospital campuses. The Mega Projects contribute to the vitality of our hospital and prepare us for the future.

Enjoy this issue.



News: Organ Transplant Recognition Day

Under the patronage of His Excellency Qasim Al Qasabi, MD, FRCSI, FACS, Chief Executive Officer of King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSH&RC), the opening ceremony of Organ Transplant Recognition Day took place. The event was held at the Prince Salman Auditorium in the hospital on 19 Rabi II 1433 (March 12, 2012).

The ceremony started with a documentary movie focused mainly on the role of organ transplantation and donation in saving people’s lives. Professor Dieter Broering, MD, PhD, FEBS, Director of the Organ Transplant Centre and Chairman of the Department of Surgery, gave a welcome speech to the audience, expressing his pride at being part of KFSH&RC and the organ transplant program.

He also mentioned how desperately the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia needs transplant services for livers, kidneys and lungs, and that 1,000 patients would need lung transplants in 2012. Dr. Broering talked about the number of organ transplant successes in the hospital; he also said that this success could not have occurred without the support of the administration. He emphasized the importance of maintaining the high quality of work and encouraged public and institutional education, and continued allocation and optimization of resources, especially in research.

H.E. Dr. Qasim Al Qasabi presented a speech on this special occasion; H.E. said it was my pleasure to share in the great successes in 2010-2011. Last year, Organ Transplant Program cases increased by 36 percent compared to the year 2010. “On behalf of the general organization and my colleagues, the executive management, I would like to take this opportunity to extend my sincere appreciation and thanks to everyone who was involved: physicians, nurses, technicians, coordinators, support staff, everyone, because without you really we couldn’t have achieved this success, particularly with these excellent outcomes, comparable to the international centers,” said His Excellency. He added that he is very proud of this success and that: “I would like to give my personal congratulations to all of you on a job well done.”

At the end of the ceremony, each department director, chairman, physicians, head nurses, nurses, technicians, coordinators, and support staffers were awarded with plaques and certificates.

Then the awardees were photographed with H.E., executives, and directors.

News: The 2011-2012 Graduation Ceremony for Postgraduate Medical Training Programs

Under the patronage of His Excellency Qasim Al Qasabi, MD, FRCSI, FACS, Chief Executive Officer of King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSH&RC), the 2011-2012 Graduation Ceremony for the Medical Training Programs Fellowship and Residency was held on 20 Rabi II 1433 (March 13, 2012) at Prince Salman Auditorium.

The graduation ceremony started with a recitation from the Holy Quran, followed by a speech by Dr. Ibrahim Jubran, Nephrology Program. Dr. Saud Al Shanafy, Executive Director of Academic and Training Affairs, spoke about the program.

His Excellency Qasim Al Qasabi presented a speech to Academic and Training Affairs management personnel, congratulating them for their success with the 26th group of Fellowship and Residents. It’s been a quarter of a century since the first batch graduated in 1406 (1986).

H.E. added that the hospital message was focused on presenting a high level of specialized health care in an integrated academic and research environment, and that academic training is one of the hospitals most significant missions, essential to preparing a trained and qualified human force in the various medical fields.

The hospital has increased the number of programs of the Saudi Board to 19, and subspecialty programs to 61. All these programs graduated a total of 395 students from the fellowship Saudi programs, and 553 from subspecialty programs. This year the hospital witnessed the graduation of 82 female and male doctors altogether; 32 doctors were from the fellowship programs and 50 from the subspecialty programs. They majority of graduates are daughters and sons of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and some of them from Arab countries.

The graduation march then began, the graduates received their certificates, and a memorial picture was taken with the H.E. Dr. Al Qasabi and the attending executives.

News: International Saudi Colorectal Conference

King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre (KFSH&RC) launched an awareness campaign for Colorectal Cancer. Majid Abdullah, a football star, participated in the campaign to help convince people of the importance of early detection and the high possibility of cure. Colon Cancer is considered the second most common cancer in both males and females in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Othman Bin Ahmed, Deputy to the Chief Executive Officer, inaugurated the five-day International Saudi Colorectal Conference in Al Mamlakh Hall at the Four Seasons Hotel on 01 Jumada Al Awal 1433 (24 March 2012). The conference hosted 56 national and international speakers. Dr. Bin Ahmed also revealed that the hospital was able to cure 3,000 patients with colorectal cancer during the last 10 years.

According to Dr. Luai Ashari, Chairman of the Organizing Committee, significant topics related to colorectal diseases were discussed, along with the possibilities of utilizing robots in surgeries. Other topics included: the latest medication for colorectitis, recent research related to cancer genes and new treatments, and stem cells and their possible uses in treating colon cancer.

The Recognition was given to those newly graduated from the colorectal program and those who received a nursing diploma in coloproctostomy.

News: The Advisory Board Company – Resources at your Fingertips

 

The hospital has renewed its membership with The Advisory Board Company.

The Advisory Board Company is the leading provider of comprehensive performance improvement services to the healthcare and education sectors—including operational best practices and insights, business intelligence and analytic tools, management training, unbiased technology evaluation, and consulting support. Drawing on nearly three decades of experience, The Advisory Board Company serves a membership of more than 2,800 organizations—including preeminent hospitals, health systems and universities— around the world that all share a charter “above commerce,” a commitment to best-practice standards, and an unyielding insistence on continual improvement.

Advisory.com Registration:

Any employee of King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre can go to http://www.advisory.com/newusrreg/ and register as a new user. Please provide this link to your colleagues. This is a great tool for accessing all the broad range of resources. The site includes archived research, online tools and calculators, updates on upcoming events, updates on the latest industry news, etc.

Our memberships include access to content from the:

•        Clinical Operations Board

•        Healthcare Executive Board

•        Global Centre for Nursing Executives

From www.advisory.com, you may access the schedule of U.S.A. and international course offerings that you may attend without additional registration fees.

News: KFSH&RC Obtains Highest Distinction for Information Security

KFSH&RC recently obtained ISO 27001 certification for Information Security, one of the highest designations in I.T. Security. Information security and data protection are taken very seriously across the organization and gaining compliance to ISO 27001 ensures that KFSH&RC and its subsidiaries can prove that confidentiality, integrity and availability of information are adequately addressed.

ISO/IEC 27001:2005 provides a framework for the management of an information security system. The standard requires you to identify, manage and mitigate risk to informational assets within the organization.

Hamad Al-Daig, Chief Information Officer, stated: “KFSH&RC always strives for best-in-class quality of services for our patients and staff. Achieving this certification demonstrates our commitment to providing reliable and continuous information technology services in a secure environment.”

In January 2012, TÜV Austria, a leading authority, performed the audit for Information Technology Affairs against the ISO/IEC 27001:2005 requirements.

Abdulwahab Alabdulwahab, Manager of Disaster Recovery and Systems Security Section, stated: “ITA is very proud of this achievement as it further demonstrates our ongoing commitment to providing the highest possible standards of information security management to King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre.”

News: The 33rd World Ophthalmology Congress

 

We had the pleasure of attending the 33rd World Ophthalmology Congress 2012 (WOC 2012), on Feb. 16, at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, featuring an extensive scientific program with over 2,200 international speakers. WOC 2012, the largest convention to be staged in the UAE capital, with over 10,000 in attendance, brought together eye-health experts from 136 countries to discuss the latest innovations and clinical developments.

The opening ceremony was attended by Prince Abdulaziz Ahmad Abdulaziz Al Saud, Chairman of the Middle East Africa Council of Ophthalmology (Meaco), Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Court; and Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nayhan, Chairman, Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority and Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company.

The ceremony traced advancements in the history of ophthalmology throughout the Middle East/Africa region from its earliest records, dating back over 3,000 years in ancient Egyptian scripts, to the creation of the lens, dating back 3,000 years in Mesopotamia. Dr Abdulaziz Al-Rajhi, president of WOC 2012, said: “This is the first time this congress – the oldest continuous international medical gathering – has been held in the Middle East and it was therefore very apt that the industry pays tribute to the significant role the region has played in medical development down the ages.”

WOC 2012 is a platform for practitioners from around the world to share updates on the latest techniques and advancements, which will assist regional and international ophthalmologists and technicians to provide advanced care to patients.

We would like to thank Dr. Selwa Al-Hazza for giving us the wonderful opportunity to attend this conference. Her emphasis on continuous education made this trip really rewarding. We would also like to extend our thanks to the administrative team of the eye clinic for their help, support, and encouragement.