On behalf of the President of Umm Al-Qura University, the Vice-President for Branches, Prof. Mohammed bin Wassel Al-Hazemi, has inaugurated the new building of the Faculty of Health Sciences for males in Al-Leith. The event, held on Wednesday, Safar 13, 1437 Hijri, November 25, 2015, was attended by chiefs of government departments and deans of different faculties and supporting deanships.

Upon his arrival to the headquarters of the Faculty, Prof. Al-Hazemi cut the ribbon on behalf of the University President, Prof. Bakry bin Maatouq Assas, announcing the inauguration of the Faculty building. Following ribbon cutting, the event was started with reciting verses from the Holy Quran, then the Faculty Dean, Prof. Fares Altaf, presented a visual show that introduced the programs of the Faculty in its three departments; Public Health, Health Management and Medical Secretary, that include 200 male and female students, taught by 24 male and female professors and lecturers.

The Faculty has signed an agreement with Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) for holding workshops for curricula taught in the Faculty in cooperation with the American college, he revealed. Prof. Altaf explained that the new Faculty building was prepared and equipped according to the latest technical specifications and supported by advanced laboratories and study halls.

The building also includes a research library, a students’ club and administrative offices for providing educational services to students and staff alike, he added, noting that the Faculty has provided the suitable environment for scientific research to flourish what resulted in publishing 14 scientific papers in remarkable scientific journals.

The Faculty also started to carry out the awareness and health survey project for citizens of the governorate, through the central research lab of the Faculty, in addition to the programs carried out all over the year through cooperation with public educational institutions in Al-Leith, holding awareness lectures in schools, contributing to and supervising students’ researches and establishing partnerships with different administrations for health education. Prof. Al-Hazemi, the Vice-President for Branches, then gave the speech of the University President for this occasion in which he valued the efforts exerted by everyone.

“The ongoing remarkable projects, especially the educational projects on the university level, witnessed by the governorate is a great source of pleasure and pride for everyone, to cope with similar projects in different parts of our blessed country,” he confirmed. The inauguration of the new building for the Faculty of Health Sciences in Al-Leith and its preparation to cope with the requirements of this phase is a great service for students of the University and the governorate in general, he added.

It’s also a proof that our wise leaders, may God protect them, are very keen on providing the best educational environment and latest educational methods for their citizens. This should make us very grateful to God and to our wise leadership that generously support and sponsor educational projects, he concluded. Prof. Al-Hazemi also revealed that Umm Al-Qura University has received instructions few days ago from HRH Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Governor of Mecca Province and Consultant of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, that the University should discuss and study rare medical and health specializations.

The University has formed a committee that includes deans of the medical, applied sciences and health sciences faculties to draft a list of recommendations to achieve this goal. The inauguration of the building of the Faculty of Health Sciences, he noted, will contribute to the targeted expansion in health sciences majors, so that this Faculty will join hands with other faculties in the governorate to fulfill these requirements in the future.

At the end of the event, the audience watched a documentary film about the Faculty and its role in serving the students, and the society in general in Al-Leith governorate. Finally, the Vice-President for Branches honored deans of the faculties and chiefs of the government departments of Al-Leith governorate in this occasion.