Saudi Arabia Wins Arab Awards In Medicine And Nursing At The 2025 Arab Health Ministers Meeting

Saudi Arabia gained several Arab honours in medicine and nursing during the 63rd regular session of the Council of Arab Health Ministers at the Arab League in Tripoli, Libya, in December. The recognition covered medical research, clinical nursing practice, joint nursing development projects, and showed Saudi participation across multiple Arab professional award categories.

The awards were announced under different Arab League schemes, including the Arab Doctor Award 2025 and the "Distinguished Work in the Nursing and Midwifery Professions" Award. These honours highlighted individuals and teams from major Saudi medical institutions, reflecting a broad spread of expertise in cardiac surgery, health research, nursing leadership, and disaster-focused clinical practice.

In the nursing field, a Saudi group won first place in the clinical practice category for the "Distinguished Work in the Nursing and Midwifery Professions" Award. The team included Dr. Manal Saeed Banassr, Iman Mohammed Al-Shammari, Abdulrahman Abdullah Abu Khudhaa, Jawhara Fahd Al-Harbi, and Reem Mohammed Al-Humaidan, who developed the "INS Model" project for intensive care during crisis conditions.

The "INS Model" project carried the title "A Capacity-Building Model for Intensive Care Units During Disasters." It was created during the COVID-19 pandemic and aims to raise nursing staff efficiency, support the healthcare system’s readiness for crises and emergencies, and expand intensive care unit capacity when disasters place heavy pressure on medical facilities.

Another "Distinguished Work in the Nursing and Midwifery Professions" Award was jointly shared between Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Chief Nursing Executive at King Saud Medical City Dr. Badriyah Awadh Al-Shehri received this joint honour for the "Nathathon" project, which focuses on developing nursing education and training, improving nursing workforce efficiency, and raising the quality of health education outcomes.

Within the Arab Doctor Award 2025, issued by the General Secretariat of the Arab League’s Social Affairs Sector, Director of Prince Naif Health Research Center Dr. Ahmed bin Salem Bahammam received the Award for Excellence in Scientific Research and Innovation. Senior Consultant of Cardiac Surgery at King Faisal Specialist Hospital Dr. Zuhair bin Yousef Al-Halais gained the Award for Excellence, Leadership, and Professional Medical Impact.

The overall achievement reflects the growing role of Saudi professionals in Arab medical and nursing awards and illustrates advances in the Saudi health sector. Progress is supported by qualified national competencies that promote innovation and strengthen health preparedness, helping to build a vibrant society with sustainable health in line with the Health Sector Transformation Program under Saudi Vision 2030.

With inputs from SPA