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THE new Bahraini head of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Bahrain takes charge at the beginning of September.
This week he spoke to GulfWeekly about his plans for the institution, studying in England and Ireland and how he aims to keep his surgical skills sharp.
Consultant orthopaedic surgeon Dr Faisal Al Mousawi has been involved in the world of medicine for more than 30 years. Initially trained in Egypt, he travelled to England and Ireland where he worked for seven years operating at world-renowned institutions such as the Whittington and St Bartholomew's.
He said: "I liked England very much and I go back there often, my three daughters graduated in England but now the last one has finished I don't have the excuse to go there so much any more.
"When I was living there I got the chance to travel around quite a bit, though worked mostly in London, and I really enjoyed it. I also liked Ireland very much and I am a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and also the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh."
Dr Faisal returned to Bahrain and was an associate professor at the Arab Gulf University from 1984 he went on to become the nation's Minister of Health and later President of the Shura Council.
The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland - Bahrain (RCSI) was founded in 2004 under licence from the government and Dr Faisal joined the institution in 2007.
He is currently chairman both of the board of the RCSI and also the board of governors, which is made up of local people and members of the college.
Earlier this year the university council took the decision to appoint a new president and on September 1 Dr Faisal takes over the role from Kevin O'Malley who will remain as a special adviser until 2010.
He said: "I am very pleased to take up with position. I have been very close to the founding president so I will be pleased to continue the good work he has already started.
"My hope is to establish the college as a centre of excellence for medical education in the area. I also hope that we can play our part in raising the standards of health care by producing doctors who know Bahrain and the medical issues we face here and also by working with the government, the ministries and other authorities.
"We are looking forward to the completion of the new King Hamad Hospital, which will be our main teaching hospital, and we hope to work closely alongside the management team.
"At the moment we have the medical school and the school of nursing and I hope that in the future we will also be able to establish a school of dentistry.
"We are also looking at running courses in healthcare management and setting up a research facility so there are very exciting times ahead.
"And, as for me, I hope to set aside some time when I can keep my hand in as a surgeon. Perhaps when I get the itching in my fingers I can pop along to the hospital and help out."
Professor O'Malley said: "I am delighted to welcome the appointment of Dr Al Mousawi as President of RCSI Bahrain. The long-standing relationship between Dr. Al Mousawi and RCSI, combined with his former responsibilities as Minister of Health and President of the Shura Council, brings a wealth of knowledge and experience which will benefit the future development of RCSI Bahrain."
