RCSI-Bahrain

Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland−Bahrain
Coláiste Ríoga na Máinleá in Éirinn

RCSI, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Motto Consilio Manuque
Motto in English
 Scholarship and Dexterity
Type Private
Established 2004
Endowment US$65 million[1]
President Sameer Otoom (President)[2]
Academic staff
 150 (2015)[3]
Administrative staff
 70 (2012)[4]
Students 1,302 (2015)[5]
Undergraduates 992 (2012)[4]
Postgraduates 36 (2012)[4]
Location Busaiteen, Bahrain
Campus Urban
Website www.rcsi-mub.com

The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Bahrain (RCSI Bahrain) formerly known as the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Medical University of Bahrain (RCSI-MUB; Irish: Coláiste Ríoga na Máinleá in Éirinn) is a constituent university of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, which was established in 1784. Like its Dublin counterpart situated on St. Stephen's Green, RCSI Bahrain is a not-for-profit health sciences institution focused on education and research. The university incorporates schools of medicine, nursing, and postgraduate studies and research, and thus provides both undergraduate and postgraduate levels of education and research activities in a number of healthcare fields.

History

RCSI was founded in 1784 by Royal Charter of King George III of Great Britain and Ireland. The College was established to educate surgeons as surgeons were trained separately from physicians. A supplemental charter was granted by Queen Victoria in 1844, dividing medical graduates into Licentiates and Fellows. In 1886, the training of physicians and surgeons merged, and the College established a Medical School.[6]

The relations between RCSI and Bahrain date back to the 1970s in the form of first aid training courses and setting examinations.[7] The establishment of the university in Bahrain was part of a greater €60−70 million 10−year development plan, which was officially launched in September 2003.[8][9] A memorandum was signed by the president of RCSI and the former Bahrain ambassador to the UK, Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa.[10]

The university was formally opened on 4 May 2004 by the Prime Minister of Bahrain, Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa and Ireland's Prime Minister, Bertie Ahern, with the first batch of medical students being admitted in October of the same year.[11] In 2006, the college opened its doors for nursing students and established the School of Postgraduate Studies.[12] Soon after, the campus moved from the Seef district of Manama to its current 15,750m2 campus in Busaiteen.

The College Crest

The Arms of the College is an eagle, preying on a serpent which is an emblem of disease. The supporters are Irish elks, with chaplets of shamrocks around their necks. Over the helmet is conventional drapery, called the Mantling, and derived from a head-covering worn by knights in armour for protection against the sun’s heat. The shield is decorated with two fleams of lancets, a satire cross, a hand and a crowned harp; the latter was taken from Arms granted in 1645 to the Dublin Guild of Barber-Surgeons.[13] The motto Consilio Manuque denotes the wisdom and manual skill required of a surgeon.

Academics

Rankings

RCSI-Bahrain has been placed 1st in a list of private higher education institutions within the country in the Higher Education Council’s (HEC) 2015 Annual Report.[14] The report, which focused on the theme of ‘Achievements and Developments’, features evaluations of all institutions based on the strategies and approaches of managing and developing higher education.

Globally, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland was placed top 50 in the latest Times Higher Education World University Rankings.[15] The Times Higher Education World University Rankings lists the best global universities and are the only international university performance tables that judge world-class universities across all their core missions—teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook. There are 17,000 RCSI alumni working as medical doctors or in allied disciplines around the world.[16]

Degrees offered

The university offers the following programs: School of Medicine, School of Nursing & Midwifery, and School of Postgraduate Studies. Graduates from the School of Medicine are conferred with the degrees of MB, BCh, BAO Degree (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery degree and Bachelor of the Art of Obstetrics) from both the National University of Ireland (NUI) and RCSI-Bahrain.[17][18] In countries that follow the tradition of the United States, the equivalent medical degree is awarded as Doctor of Medicine (MD).[19] Medical graduates are also awarded with the Licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (LRCSI) and the Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (LRCPI).[18] Graduates of the nursing course obtain a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the RCSI-Bahrain and from the NUI as well.[20] Masters Programmes in Healthcare Management and Quality & Safety in Healthcare Management are offered. The programmes offer a wide range of leadership development encompassing education, competencies and development for healthcare and management staff focusing on core components of leadership, management and quality & safety in healthcare management.[21] The medical program is accredited by the Irish Medical Council [22] based upon the World Federation of Medical Education (WFME) standards, which are the highest standards available in medical education, by the GCC Medical Schools Deans’ Committee, and is included in the World Health Organisation's Directory of Medical Schools and the International Medical Education Directory of the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research (FAIMER).

Campus

RCSI is organized into campuses in St. Stephen's Green in Dublin and in Bahrain. The campuses run their medical programs in parallel. RCSI-Bahrain, a National University of Ireland, is top ranked [14] of the three medical schools located in Bahrain. The others are AMA International University-Bahrain College of Medicine and Arabian Gulf University-College of Medicine and Medical Sciences. RCSI-Bahrain has one of two nursing programmes in the country, the other being College of Health Sciences.[23]

Institution wide staff-student ratio is 1:19.4. Most of the senior medical teaching faculty members are from Ireland. As of 2015, the student body was estimated at 1,302,[24] the majority of which were in the School of Medicine.[4] Students belonged to more than 39 different nationalities. RCSI-Bahrain medical school shares the same curriculum and examinations with RCSI, Dublin.[17] The Mobility Programme allows them to study in the alternate RCSI facility for a selected period (i.e. the RCSI student in Bahrain can exchange to Dublin and vice versa).

RCSI-Bahrain's main teaching hospitals are the BDF Hospital, King Hamad University Hospital, Salmaniya Medical Complex, and a number of healthcare centers.[25] The campus, located next to the newly constructed King Hamad University Hospital,[26] can accommodate up to 2,000 students.[1] The campus is composed of a six-story building and a $700,000-investment, 900m2 sports facility .[12] The total investment in the campus is estimated at $65 US million.[1]

Campus architecture and design

RCSI-Bahrain’s architecture was designed by UK-based architect Aedas and Bahrain-based consultancy Mohammed Salahuddin.[27] The theme is said to rely heavily on what is widely regarded as Ireland's greatest national monument, Newgrange, one of the finest examples in western Europe of the type of tomb known as a passage grave which can be dated to around 3200BC. Celtic and Islamic motifs and drawings from the history of the two cultures are incorporated into the design of the building. The intention of the design to reflect Ireland's lengthy cultural and innovative history merged with this sensitively with the Middle Eastern setting. Composed of two main areas, the building is connected by bridges and galleries.

Student activities

The university currently has over 50 clubs and societies, from sports such as basketball, badminton, volleyball, football, rugby, and equestrian, to interest groups like TEDxRCSIBh, Culinary, Art and Film societies. Academic organizations include Medics for Humanity, Nursing, and Medical Research and Surgical Society. Students participate in the International Research Summer School (IRSS) programme, which is an exchange programme that allows students the opportunity to experience the cultures of their respective host cities. Among the university's largest social events are the Winter Ball and International Night.

Community Engagement

An annual charity challenge dubbed “Paddle Bahrain” focuses to raise funds and increase public awareness of the risk factors associated with developing Type I & II diabetes. A partnership was established with Diabetes.bh, a not-for-profit initiative, to create the first online education and community portal for people affected by diabetes in Bahrain.[28] The Paediatric Mobile Unit regularly visits schools to teach primary aged school children the importance of healthy lifestyles, and raise awareness of diabetes in the community, through a range of activities and educational games developed by RCSI Bahrain. The university has delivered public awareness films on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) procedures that have been screened on Gulf Air’s on-board health channel, and stroke awareness videos in conjunction with Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) and Gulf Broadcast. Other collaborations include working with the Bahrain Red Crescent and Bahrain Medical Society for a series of community, charitable and educational activities. Additionally, RCSI Bahrain is part of Bahrain's Humanitarian Action Group—a first responder volunteer group to support communities during local disasters, organized in collaboration with Muharraq Municipal Council.[29]

Bahrain's political history

Political history

During February 2011, Bahrain saw sustained pro-democracy protests, centered at Pearl Roundabout in the capital of Manama, as part of the wider Arab Spring. Authorities responded with a night raid on 17 February (referred to by protesters as Thursday). Health workers played an important role in documenting the injuries.[30] At Salmaniya Medical Complex, doctors joined the protests themselves, speaking to protesters and media from the hospital stairs, after authorities blocked ambulances from bringing injured protesters there for care. The military responded by naming the hospital an opposition stronghold, taking it over on March 16.[31] In March and April 2011, health workers were arrested during night raids for their actions during the protests. At least three of the arrested medics had studied in RCSI.

RCSI-Bahrain in 2011

The university remained apolitical and non-sectarian in face of the unrest in Bahrain in 2011 under recommendation by the Irish Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade.[32] According to the Irish Medical Times, questioned three students who had participated in anti-government protests in February 2011.[33] Students were asked to the Bahraini Royal Family and sign a declaration that they would not participate in further protests."[34] The questioning took place at the request of Bahrain's Ministry of Education, which also provided the college with photographs.[33] The aforementioned ministry withdrew from three other students, but restored them later.[33] The questioning was undertaken by a senior officer "without the knowledge or authority of the College" and that they only had known about it from an Irish barrister.[34] In October, professor Tom Collins, who had been recently appointed president of RCSI-Bahrain, to the questioned students.[33] The incident was highlighted by Ceartas (Irish) as an example of the "restrictive environment that RCSI-MUB operates in".[35] In July 2011, a group of Irish doctors, politicians, and other representatives led by orthopedic surgeon Damien McCormack traveled to Bahrain to meet with medics, their families, government officials, and the university.[36][37]

Medical ethics conference

According to Collins the conference titled "Medical ethics and dilemmas in situations of political discord" and co-sponsored by RCSI-Bahrain and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) was given verbal approval from Bahrain's Crown Prince in the Autumn of 2012.[38] However, Collins added that "the written permission never arrived" and thus the conference was cancelled.[9] Bart Janssens of MSF said they had indeed received a written permission, but added that there was a "clear message" against holding the conference.[39] In the wake of Collins', a delegation from RCSI headed by its CEO and president visited Bahrain and met several government officials including the Prime Minister.[40] According to Bahrain News Agency, the delegation "expressed over the circumstances that surrounded the ratiocinate of former president of RCSI-Bahrain".[40] The government of Bahrain was satisfied with the response with the Prime Minister reaffirming support and expressing appreciation to RCSI.[40] MSF said they had chosen Bahrain, because of its "own recent experience with the politicization of medicine".[41][41] Collins said in late May 2013 that the cancelled conference was "one way the RCSI could address the situation in Bahrain as an academic institution".[42]

See also

References

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 3 "$65m campus for RCSI university.". TradeArabia (via HighBeam Research). 3 February 2009. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  2. ↑ "RCSI Bahrain – Management". RCSI-Bahrain. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  3. ↑ "Our Staff". RCSI-Bahrain. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 RCSI-Bahrain 2012, p. 5.
  5. ↑ "RCSI Bahrain Prospectus 2015/2016" (PDF). RCSI-Bahrain. 1 Jun 2015. p. 6. Retrieved 31 Oct 2016.
  6. ↑ "RCSI Bahrain Prospectus 2015/2016" (PDF).
  7. ↑ Ali al-Mosawi (8 January 2009). "كلية الجراحين" في فبراير. Al-Wasat (Bahraini newspaper) (in Arabic). Retrieved 4 June 2013.
  8. ↑ Healy, Alison (6 September 2003). "College of Surgeons to get €60m development". The Irish Times (via HighBeam Research). Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  9. 1 2 Mary Fitzgerald (26 March 2013). "College of surgeons Bahrain head quits over conference permit". Irish Times. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  10. ↑ Ceartas 2013, p. 1.
  11. ↑ "Medical University to be launched". Info-Prod Research (via HighBeam Research). 15 April 2004. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  12. 1 2 RCSI-Bahrain 2012, p. 4.
  13. ↑ "The College Arms". Retrieved 2016-11-27.
  14. 1 2 http://www.rcsi-mub.com/index.jsp?a=5648&n=2171&p=2170
  15. ↑ http://www.rcsibahrain.edu.bh/files/2014/20150301072434_February%202015%20Newsletter.pdf
  16. ↑ "A Celebration of RCSI - Past, Present and Future - RCSI Gathering 2013". www.pei.ie. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  17. 1 2 Ceartas 2013, p. 2.
  18. 1 2 "MB BCh BAO (Medicine) course". RCSI-Bahrain. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  19. ↑ http://wblearning-ejournal.com/archive/10-10-11/E3001%20rtb.pdf
  20. ↑ "Nursing". RCSI-Bahrain. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  21. ↑ http://www.rcsi-mub.com/index.jsp?p=100&n=109&a=5880
  22. ↑ http://medicalcouncil.ie/Education/Career-Stage-Undergraduate/Quality-Assurance/Medical-School-Accreditation/Report-of-Inspection-Bahrain-Dec-2014.pdf
  23. ↑ RCSI-Bahrain 2012, p. 9.
  24. ↑ http://www.rcsi-mub.com/files/2015/20160106021256_Prospectus%202016.pdf
  25. ↑ "Admissions Frequently Asked Questions -". www.rcsi-mub.com. Retrieved 2016-11-22.
  26. ↑ "RCSI Bahrain". RCSI. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  27. ↑ "Gulfweekly.com: Gulf Weekly magazine, Digital Publishing,Bahrain, Gulf, Weekly, News, Entertainment, Promotions, Events". www.gulfweekly.com. Retrieved 2016-11-24.
  28. ↑ Website Admin (23 May 2013). "RCSI Bahrain to support diabetes.bh". Diabetes.bh. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
  29. ↑ "RCSI Bahrain and Bahrain Red Crescent sign MoU -". www.rcsi-mub.com. Retrieved 2017-05-23.
  30. ↑ "Bahrain military court finds medics guilty". Amnesty International. 29 September 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  31. ↑ "Health Services Paralyzed: Bahrain’s Military Crackdown on Patients" (PDF). Doctors Without Borders. April 2011. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  32. ↑ Team, Fujitsu/Oireachtas Lotus Notes/Domino Development. "Parliamentary Debates". oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie. Retrieved 2016-11-17.
  33. 1 2 3 4 Dara Gantly (12 October 2011). "Exclusive breaking news: RCSI says treatment of students in Bahrain ‘unacceptable’". Irish Medical Times. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  34. 1 2 Dara Gantly (12 October 2011). "Exclusive: ‘Wholly inappropriate’ actions taken without College’s knowledge". Irish Medical Times. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  35. ↑ Ceartas 2013, p. 17.
  36. ↑ Mary Fitzgerald (12 July 2011). "Irish delegation travels to Bahrain". Irish Times. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
  37. ↑ Ceartas 2013, p. 3.
  38. ↑ Robert Fisk (24 March 2013). "Bahrain hit by doctors' desertion". The Independent. Retrieved 1 June 2013.
  39. ↑ Mary Fitzgerald (29 March 2013). "RCSI delegation to visit Bahrain after resignation". Irish Times. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  40. 1 2 3 Joe Humphreys (3 April 2013). "Bahrain government welcomes improved relations with RCSI after ethics row". Irish Times. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  41. 1 2 Dan Murphy (25 March 2013). "US-ally Bahrain blocks medical ethics conference". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 2 June 2013.
  42. ↑ Mary Fitzgerald (1 June 2013). "College of Surgeons ‘powerless’ in Bahrain, says former campus head". Irish Times. Retrieved 2 June 2013.

Bibliography

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