Makkah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Abdullah, 2nd right, honors one of the graduates while Sobhi Batterjee, chairman of the Board of Trustees, left, looks on.

The Batterjee Medical College (BMC) held a ceremony on Monday to mark the graduation of its third batch of medical students under the aegis of Makkah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Abdullah. The event was attended by a large number of consuls, diplomats, dignitaries and graduates.

Sobhi Batterjee, chairman of the Board of Trustees, thanked Prince Mishaal for attending the event and honoring the graduates and praised the students for their hard work for achieving their aspirations.

Batterjee said the college since incpetion had taken a keen interest in creating a climate of scientific research combining theoretical science with the practical application of the latest techniques. It aimed, he said, to provide the best practices in education and training to the students.

“We want to train our students through specialized programs to acquire skills which are needed to fill jobs in the Saudi labor market and make an effective contribution in the service of the community,” he said, noting that the college has plans to expand inside and outside the Kingdom.

BMC has several achievements to its credit in the less than 10 years of its establishment. It received the award for the best educational project in the Middle East and North Africa in 2010.

It was also recognized by the World Health Organization and the International Commission for the development of medical education. BMC prides itself in having professors and faculty members from 28 different Arab and foreign countries including America, Canada and France which it says enriches the cultural diversity of the students.

BMC currently accommodates 4,000 male and female students and is working on expanding to accommodate 20,000 male and female students in the near future.
Khaled Batterjee, vice-chairman of the Board of Trustees, said Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and the crown prince and the second deputy premier had granted unlimited support to government, private universities and colleges.

“This unlimited support is the driving force of our government to achieve the development of our beloved country. BMC strives to send out qualified young people who are capable of serving their country,” Batterjee said.

Hassan Shaibah, BMC dean, said that this year’s batch produced a total of 212 graduates, both male and female including 62 students from the medical school, 27 students from the physical therapy program, 32 students from pharmacy, 24 students from radiology, 21 students from the health administration program and 46 students from nursing.

“BMC has succeeded in providing integrated educational programs similar to those offered by international medical universities in the fields of medicine, dentistry and other health disciplines while the programs and curricula at the college is continuously being developed in line with programs being offered internationally,” he said.

The most recent partnership was signed with Maastricht University, Netherlands to develop the Medicine Program and other programs. “BMC continues to forge partnerships with local and international universities to offer the best to its students,” he added.

He further said that the other great achievements of the college are the OKAZ Award for professional excellence, holing a career program at a conference in Washington to attract graduates of the program of the King Abdullah Foreign Scholarship and the obtaining of the ISO 9001 certification.

The graduates were thrilled to receive their degrees and expressed pride in this long awaited joyful occasion. They said they will do their very best to contribute to the development of their beloved country in all aspects.