Faiz Al-Najdi Saudi Gazette RIYADH — The Executive Director for Medical Affairs at King Fahd Medical City in Riyadh (KFMC) said based on personal experience Pakistani doctors were very competent and promising. Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Humaid was speaking as the chief guest at the 36th Annual Medical Symposium arranged by the Pakistani Doctors Group-Riyadh (PDGR). The symposium was held at the Pakistani Embassy in Riyadh. Al-Humaid also recalled his visit to Pakistan to act as an external examiner for the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Karachi around 10 years ago. He added: “My wife and I still cannot forget some wonderful time spent in Pakistan during that time. He praised the bilateral relations that existed between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. He added: “The relationship has traversed beyond governmental level and is also cemented at a people-to-people level.” Pakistani Ambassador Muhammad Naeem Khan, also addressing the gathering, said: “The Pakistani Doctors Group has come of age since its inception in 1986.” He praised PDGR for running a free five-day medical clinic at the Pakistani Embassy in Riyadh for needy Pakistanis who cannot afford insurance and medical expenses. Free medical consultations, medicines and laboratory check-ups are a great help to those low income Pakistanis who otherwise would not be able to afford such services, he added. He said arrangements have been made with PDGR to set up two free medical camps in the near future. He said: “Permission has been granted from the Saudi Ministry of Health, the Governor of the Eastern Province Prince Muhammad Bin Fahd and the Governor of Tabuk Prince Fahd Bin Sultan to set up similar free medical clinics in these two regions as well.” At the symposium two papers on various medical topics were presented. The first presentation was by Dr. Mahmoud Al-Yamani, Director of the National Neurosciences Institute at KFMC. Al-Yamani's presentation covered a number of issues dealing with various case histories related to brain disease and the statistics regarding the management, recovery and mortality rates of various cases handled at KFMC under the leadership of Al-Yamani. The second presentation was by Riaz Qureshi, professor at the department of Family Medicine at King Saud University. He discussed stress management in doctors and patients. Around 200 guests participated in the symposium, including Pakistani doctors registered with PDGR and Saudi doctors, among others.
