Eighth Medical Conference held last November   Ministry of Education Undersecretary for Education Affairs and Curricula Dr. Abdulla Yousif Al Muttawa’a chaired here today the 72nd meeting of the Board of Trustees of the Arabian Gulf University (AGU).
The latest developments regarding Princess Al Jawhara Centre for Molecular Medicine and Inherited Disorders, as well as the recommendations of the Eighth Medical Conference held last November were reviewed.
He also confirmed that the Board discussed improving the salaries of the academic staff in the context of executing the 5-year strategy and increasing the budget of the University by BD21.5 million.
The Board also agreed to accept the membership of Dr. Abdulla bin Muhammad Al Rubaish, from the Dammam University.
On his part, AGU President Khalid bin AbdulRahman Al Ohaly said that the Board has taken a number of strategic decisions aiming to support the university’s performance in the forthcoming stages in order to promote AGU as a leading educational institution in the region.
The Board also discussed the progress of the King Abdulla Medical City project. In this regard, it is worth mentioning that the Custodian of Two Holy Mosques King Abdulla bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud allocated SR1billion to establish the medical city and His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa allocated 1-million-square-meter lot for the same purpose.
Dr. Ohaly said that the King Abdulla Medical City Project reflects the advanced level of cooperation among brotherly GCC leaders and their support for AGU, adding that the first phase of the three-stage project has been completed in time and that works on the clinics project will start in the first quarter of 2012.
The Secretary General of the Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences in UAE Dr. Najeeb Al Khaja said that the meeting discussed number of challenges facing AGU and the future alternatives, including raising expenditure level, financial sustainability and establishing new quality standards in order to support the quality of academic programs, praising the performance of Al Jawhara Center.
He added that the Board members called for the need to enhance the quality of teaching and maintain the high standard scientific successes in medical field and in various higher education programs, noting that the Board Members are very happy for the unprecedented increase in the number of students who enrolled in the university for the 2011-2012 academic year, which, he said, reflects the trust of the GCC Governments in AGU and the security and stability the Kingdom of Bahrain is enjoying.