Saudi Gazette Dr. Walid A. Fitaihi, CEO of International Medical Center is one of those doctors who possess an extremely impressive personality and leave a lasting impression. He graduated from George Washington Medical School and is American Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Endocrinology& Diabetes. He was an instructor at Harvard Medical School, wrote hundreds of articles, received a Master's Degree in Public Health, published a book and is now the CEO of the International Medical Center. With such a long and impressive list of achievements, one would expect that it was his childhood dream to become a doctor. In Dr. Fitaihi's exclusive interview with Saudi Gazette, he surprised us that his desire to study medicine came later in life. Meeting this public icon was a pleasure since he has such an amicable personality that you feel that you have known him for years. “When I was younger I actually thought of becoming a lawyer. I felt that the Muslim world needed a strong lawyer with solid knowledge of both Islamic and international law. I wanted to study law at Harvard and Shariah at Al-Azhar University in Egypt. After high school, I studied engineering at George Washington University as a pre-requisite to studying law,” said Dr. Fitaihi. “I believe that all decisions we make are influenced by the circumstances and people that Allah puts in our lives. My father admired his friends whose sons were doctors because patients always prayed for their doctor's parents and family along with the prayers for patients. My father wanted these blessings, spiritual rewards, and prayers to reach him, which would benefit him even after he died. To please him, I applied to George Washington Medical School,” he added. “Honestly I did not take it seriously because I doubted they would accept me. At that time no Saudi was accepted as an undergraduate into George Washington Medical School. I even filled out the application in pencil because I did not think I had a chance. To my surprise, the dean of the medical school informed me that I was accepted, as long as I completed my Bachelor's Degree in engineering and kept my grades up, which I did and I graduated first in my class.” Initially, as a young medical student Dr. Fitaihi worried that becoming a doctor would confine him to his clinic and that he might not be able to reform and change the world around him. However, he soon realized that medicine was the path chosen for him. “I discovered that medicine is the most noble profession. Medicine actually opened the whole world to me and gave me the opportunity to serve humanity in a much more profound way. Not only was I a physician, but also a spokesperson for social change and an advocate for human rights and patients' rights,” said Dr. Fitaihi. Regarding his decision to open a new hospital here in Jeddah, Dr. Fitaihi explained, “When I came back to my home country after years of working in the United States, I felt obligated to start a new paradigm and to contribute to the quality of healthcare in the Kingdom. It was not about building a hospital, it was about creating a new culture, a new way of life. Our vision from the start was to pioneer a unique approach of healing the body, mind, and soul by applying the best global healthcare standards and pursuing divine ethics.” The plot of land for this hospital was purchased by his father well before Dr. Fitaihi started planning for it. It was during the Gulf War and Dr. Fitaihi was still in the United States at the time. “During the Gulf War most investors and businessmen were trying to send their money out of the country. Instead, my father kept his money inside the country and bought this piece of land. At a time when lives were being lost, my father had the intention of saving lives. We feel that this land has a secret and there is something about it, beyond what our eyes can see.” The International Medical Center is now a monument of health care, public health education, preventive medicine, and a whole new concept of caring for the mental and spiritual dimensions of the patient. Dr. Fitaihi has a vision for the future of medicine in Saudi Arabia. He said, “We want to open a medical school in Jeddah with facilitated tuition. The university fees should not be a barrier for qualified students. I dream of choosing the best students who will be vehicles of healing. I intend to look for those who have a passion for giving from all over the world to produce the highest caliber of doctors who will strive to serve the community and humanity at large.” __
