Fitness plans unveiled

The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland-Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain) kick-started its 10th anniversary celebrations this week with newly-appointed president Sameer Otoom claiming ‘the best is yet to come’.

During the celebration event, held at the campus in Busaiteen, Professor Sameer revealed a number of new initiatives and unveiled plans to keep the medical students fit as they hope to make their patients.

New $700,000 sports facilities have been revealed and include revamped gyms, a FIFA-approved football pitch and a full-sized basketball court to ensure the trainee doctors and nurses manage to squeeze in some exercise into their busy schedules.

Professor Otoom said: “We are planning to officially open it in October and the students are already very excited about it. This major development certainly is something the students were looking for in the past and now we are making their wishes come true.

“The higher education council in Bahrain’s strategy puts a lot of emphasis on extra-curricula activities for students and with these new facilities more sporting activities can take place.”

Professor Otoom, 48, has been a central figure in successfully establishing the university, previously serving by turns as professor of clinical pharmacology, dean, vice president for academic affairs and interim president.

He joined the university shortly after it opened in a small building in Seef and has seen the campus and the student body grow exponentially.

He said: “I joined RCSI Bahrain during the second year it was open and I have seen first-hand the developments and expansion. In terms of the staff, I think there were around 15, now there are 125 full-time and 100 clinicians in the hospitals, not to mention our student body which comprises of more than 1,300 from all over the world.

“This brings the number of students to an all-time high and with students from more than 40 countries it is certainly a diverse mix.

“It has always been a pleasure and an honour to work in such a reputable organisation as RCSI. With its dedicated staff and multi-national students, I look forward to continuing working with them and all our stakeholders for a very successful future for RCSI and Bahrain.”

RCSI Bahrain announced that more than 300 new students have enrolled for courses in medicine and nursing this year. During the annual orientation week, students from 20 different nationalities were introduced to different aspects of student life with the support of RCSI Bahrain staff members and senior students.

Jordanian national Professor Otoom, qualified in medicine from Jordan University of Science and Technology and then undertook an MS and a PhD in Pharmacology from the US University of Houston, Texas, and gained a Certificate in Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (CCPT) from the University of Glasgow in Scotland.

The father-of-three envisions a bright future for the university, claiming that it is currently looking into the feasibility of adding new programmes in medicine, nursing and post graduate studies.

As part of the anniversary celebrations there will also be an international food festival and guest lecture from Dr Michael Brennan from the Mayo Clinic at a gala dinner to be held on November 27.

“The success we have achieved at RCSI Bahrain is because of the hard work put in by everyone from teaching staff to stake holders. Also we couldn’t have achieved this without the support from the government and from the hospitals that are part of our success story,” added Professor Otoom.