RIYADH: Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah was awarded the Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences for outstanding medical personalities in the Arab world on Monday.
The health minister received the award from Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, deputy ruler of Dubai and minister of finance and industry, at the 7th Dubai International Conference for Medical Sciences held at the Sheikh Rashed Hall of Dubai International Convention and Exhibitions Center.
As a commemorative gift, Al-Rabeeah presented a book, "My experience with conjoined twins", at the conference. The book highlighted the progress and achievements made by the Kingdom and by Al-Rabeeah, who has been a pioneer of separation surgeries of conjoined twins in the Kingdom.
Al-Rabeeah performed the first separation surgery in the Kingdom in December 1990 at Riyadh's King Faisal Specialist Hospital.
Under his leadership, Saudi Arabia has a team of top surgeons specialized in the separation of twins with the experience of treating 63 twins from 17 countries, of which 28 have been successful.
Following the receipt of his award, Al-Rabeeah said the Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates had been enjoying age-old fraternal relations, which would help the two countries to cooperate with each other in the health sector too.
He explained that the health goals of the GCC countries are common, and many things are worked out through the GCC Health Ministers Council for the welfare of the citizens in the region.
Thanking Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum for the honor bestowed on him, Al-Rabeeah said he deemed it as an honor given in appreciation of a noble and humanitarian profession.
The Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences for outstanding medical personalities is annually given to distinguished personalities who have dedicated their life to the development of medical science in the Arab region. The objective of this award is to recognize the work that influenced the medical development of excellence in the Arab region and community.
The winners are selected through recommendations from health ministries of the countries from the Arab world and based on the individual's scientific and academic achievements, which are reflected in his/her personal contributions and dedications for the medical development in the Arab world.
Since its establishment in 1990, 28 physicians and volunteer workers in the area of humanitarian services have won the prize.
The winners included Americans, Britons, Australians, Italians, Germans and a Finn besides winners from the Middle East region.
MD Rasooldeen - Arab News
