RCSI Bahrain

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. In 1886, the training of physicians and surgeons merged, and the College established a Medical School.

The relations between RCSI and Bahrain date back to the 1970s in the form of first aid training courses and setting examinations. 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. A memorandum was signed by the president of RCSI and the former Bahrain ambassador to the UK, Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa.

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. In 2006, the college opened its doors for nursing students and established the School of Postgraduate Studies. 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. The motto Consilio Manuque denotes the wisdom and manual skill required of a surgeon.

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. 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. 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.

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. In countries that follow the tradition of the United States, the equivalent medical degree is awarded as Doctor of Medicine (MD). 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). Graduates of the nursing course obtain a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the RCSI-Bahrain and from the NUI as well.

The medical program is accredited by the Irish Medical Council 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 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.

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, the majority of which were in the School of Medicine. Students belonged to more than 39 different nationalities. RCSI-Bahrain medical school shares the same curriculum and examinations with RCSI, Dublin. 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 centres.

The campus, located next to the newly constructed King Hamad University Hospital, can accommodate up to 2,000 students. The campus is composed of a six-story building and a $700,000-investment, 900m² sports facility . The total investment in the campus is estimated at $65 US million.

Campus architecture and design

RCSI-Bahrain’s architecture was designed by UK-based architect Aedas and Bahrain-based consultancy Mohammed Salahuddin. 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, right through to academic organizations including Medics for Humanity, Nursing, and Medical Research and Surgical Society.

RCSI-Bahrain Community Engagement organizes an annual charity challenge dubbed “Paddle Bahrain” to raise funds and increase public awareness of the risk factors associated with developing Type II diabetes. Additionally, the university has partnered with the not-for-profit initiative, Diabetes.bh to create the first online education and community portal for people affected by diabetes in Bahrain. The university has worked with the airline, Gulf Air, to launch an on-board health channel that includes instructional videos on Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) procedures.

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 (later referred to by protesters as Bloody Thursday). Health workers played an important role in documenting the injuries. 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. In March and April 2011, more than seventy 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. Despite this official neutral stance by the university, three of its students and graduates became involved and were questioned by Bahrain's Ministry of Education. One group, Ceartas, has been critical of the university for its handling of the situation and submitted a request to the Medical Council in Ireland to attempt to remove accreditation to the college over what it alleged to be human rights infringement occurring at one of its affiliate hospitals, however, the RCSI has not been accused of any wrongdoing and continues to be accredited.

Students' political involvement

According to the Irish Medical Times, RCSI-Bahrain questioned three students who had participated in anti-government protests in February 2011. Students were asked to "swear an oath of loyalty to the Bahraini Royal Family and sign a declaration that they would not participate in further protests." The questioning took place at the request of Bahrain's Ministry of Education, which also provided the college with photographs. The aforementioned ministry withdrew sponsorships from three other students, but restored them later. 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. In October, professor Tom Collins, who had been recently appointed president of RCSI-Bahrain, apologized to the questioned students. The incident was highlighted by Ceartas (Irish lawyers for human rights) as an example of the "restrictive environment that RCSI-MUB operates in".

Irish fact-finding delegation

In July 2011, a group of Irish doctors, politicians and human rights representatives led by orthopedic surgeon Damien McCormack traveled to Bahrain and met with medics and their families as well as some government officials. They also visited RCSI-Bahrain campus.

Medical ethics conference

In March 2013, Collins resigned from his position as president following cancellation of a conference on medical ethics. According to Collins the conference titled "Medical ethics and dilemmas in situations of political discord or violence" 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. However, Collins added that "the written permission never arrived" and thus the conference was cancelled. Rajab also criticized the way Collin's resignation was announced, describing it as "media and political stir" that is not in line with the academic standards of "prestigious educational institutions". Bart Janssens of MSF said they had indeed received a written permission, but added that there was a "clear message" against holding the conference.

In the wake of Collins' resignation, a delegation from RCSI headed by its CEO and president visited Bahrain and met several government officials including the Prime Minister. According to Bahrain News Agency, the delegation "expressed regret over the circumstances that surrounded the resignation of former president of RCSI-Bahrain". The government of Bahrain was satisfied with the response with the Prime Minister reaffirming support and expressing appreciation to RCSI.

MSF said they had chosen Bahrain, because of its "own recent experience with the politicization of medicine". "It's a fact that in many countries, as in Bahrain, hospitals have become forefront places for political struggles, and people who are injured can not find in any way a sort of neutral space where only clinical medicine is practiced and not find political discussions," they added. 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". He criticized government of Bahrain for its "heavy-handed oppression" and said the college was "extraordinarily powerless in Bahrain".