Six newly qualified Emirati physicians participated in five year Abu Dhabi Integrated Residency Program

Al Ain, 11th September, 2011: Tawam Hospital, in affiliation with Johns Hopkins Medicine, has hosted the graduation ceremony of the first cohort of resident surgeons to pass through the UAE Integrated General Surgery Program, which commenced in 2006. Participants of the program, who in line with Emiratization aspirations were UAE nationals, were honored in the Al-Ain ceremony.  The event also featured an awards presentation to recognize Dr. Mudehat Mujahed as 'Teacher of the Year 2011', and also Resident Dr. Noura Al Ali, who was presented with the '2011 Best Score In-Service Exam Award'. The program has enabled six newly qualified Emirati MDs the opportunity to follow a five-year General Surgery Residency Program providing them with 'on the job' training, supervision, tuition, assessment and evaluation, enabling the physicians to become fully-licensed general surgeons, a program and transition previously unavailable in the UAE.

Tawam Hospital is part of the SEHA HealthSystem and is owned and operated by Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), which is responsible for the curative activities of all the public hospitals and clinics in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, including the General Surgery Residency Program hosted by Tawam. Dr. Ali Abdulkarim Al Obaidli, Chief Officer, Clinical Affairs Division at SEHA, commented on the program, "SEHA is committed to building a sustainable, UAE healthcare system where UAE nationals assume a larger role in healthcare needs in this country.  The UAE integrated General Surgery Residency Program at Tawam is in-line with this commitment, as it has served to incubate Emirati talent to the point that these professionals have become the first surgeons trained in the UAE. This graduation is important it highlights the fact that the UAE now has the proven capacity to produce its own general surgeons - a tangible result of the SEHA commitment to Emiratzation, and an immensely important development in the future of the national healthcare sector".  

Humaid Al Mansouri, Deputy CEO Tawam Hospital, said "At Tawam we are very pleased to bring such a program to the UAE.  It is a program that has enabled exceptional local talent to to continue and develop in their medical training whilst remaining in the UAE, this has huge implications for local medicine".  Addressing the graduates, he continued "Any surgeon will tell you that their years in general surgery residency are amongst the demanding of their career; the grueling hours and intense challenges completed to graduate from a surgical residency are a testament to the untold commitment of the physicians to medicine and surgery.  I would like to congratulate the graduate general surgeons, now qualified to treat a wide variety of acute medical issues and diseases".

Having successfully completed the residency program, graduating doctors are now able to practise both general medicine and surgery.  Some of the doctors are electing to follow their residency with a fellowship, during which they will be trained in sub-specialty areas.  Dr. Amgad El Sherif, Program Director of General Surgery Residency, Tawam Hospital said, "This program is a world-class, innovative surgical residency program, designed in partnership with our affiliates at Johns Hopkins Medicine, USA.  As part of the core curriculum the doctors have received on the job training and monitoring plus regular assessment and evaluation in major surgical fields including, surgical oncology, cardiac surgery, ICU, trauma, burns and plastics, and pediatric surgery.  The program has produced six highly capable and committed general surgeons, who I am confident will make a critical difference to the lives of an untold number of patients over the course of their careers, regardless of whether they enter specialist training fellowship programs or choose to immediately begin practising as general surgeons".

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About Tawam Hospital
Tawam Hospital in affiliation with John Hopkins Medicine is a premier, 466-bed tertiary care facility located in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, the largest of the United Arab Emirates. Tawam serves as a regional referral center for specialized medical care and a national referral center for oncology services. Though it offers services in all specialties, the hospital is best known for its neonatal care, emergency medicine, intensive care, oncology services and state-of-the-art cardiac care. Tawam Hospital is one of the first public hospital to receive JCI accreditation in the UAE.  Tawam Hospital is part of the SEHA HealthSystem owned and operated by Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) which is responsible for the curative activities of all the public hospitals and clinics of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

About Johns Hopkins Medicine International
Johns Hopkins Medicine International (JHI) facilitates the global development of the Johns Hopkins Medicine mission: to improve the health of the community and the world by setting the standard of excellence in medical education, research and clinical care.

As the international access point to thousands of Johns Hopkins experts in medicine, nursing, public health and health care administration, JHI coordinates treatment for out-of-town patients who travel to Baltimore and for local patients with limited English proficiency. It also provides services in hospital management, health care consulting and clinical education through strategic alliances and affiliations in the Middle East, Latin America, North America, Europe and Asia.

About the SEHAHealthSystem and Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA)
SEHA is health in Arabic. The Abu Dhabi Health Services Company - whose corporate identity is SEHA - is an independent, public joint stock company created to manage and develop the curative activities of the public hospitals and clinics of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi collectively known as the SEHA HealthSystem.  SEHA is committed to providing quality, cost effective healthcare on par with international standards measured through accessibility, affordability, choice and satisfaction. The SEHA HealthSystem is made up of  12 hospitals, 2,644 licensed beds, 62 Ambulatory and Primary Health Clinics, and  2 blood banks, and is one of the largest employers in the Middle East with more that 16,500 employees. For further information, contact James S. Ferrier, Corporate Marketing Manager or Salama Al Mazrouei, Sr. Corporate Marketing Specialist at smazrouei@seha.ae.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Sumaya Al Harrasi
Marketing & Business Communications Manager
Tawam Hospital
Tel.: +971 3 7074646
7Mobile: +971 553051305
Fax: +971 3 7075192
Email: sharrasi@tawamhospital.ae

© Press Release 2011