Al Jalila Foundation launches Scholarship Programme

Al Jalila Foundation launches Scholarship Programme investing AED 3 Million annually to help UAE graduate into a global healthcare pacemaker

Programme incubates a homegrown generation of medical professionals and advances the healthcare goals of UAE Vision 2021

Al Jalila Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation that aims to be a catalyst for life-changing healthcare enhancements for the UAE population, has announced a scholarship programme that will dedicate AED 3 million per year to empower academically and financially deserving Emirati medical students. The investment is expected to grow in line with the Foundation’s fundraising efforts in order to benefit a growing number of medical students. The programme is a transformative step towards building capacity and making the UAE’s heath sector more self-reliant, in line with the academic and healthcare goals of UAE Vision 2021.

The medical scholarship programme is open to Emirati students who intend to pursue postgraduate studies in the UAE at higher education institutes and universities accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. The deadline for application is 1 August 2013 and more information is available on the Foundation’s website.

Expanding on the anticipated benefits of the programme, Her Excellency Raja Easa Saleh Al Gurg, member of the Board of Trustees and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Al Jalila Foundation, explained: “Our Foundation places a high premium on sustainability and we believe the best way is by strengthening the UAE’s own medical capabilities. We are devising local solutions for local challenges. We will identify, nurture and retain our brightest medical talents, to usher in a steady stream of graduates to ensure sustainable growth within our health sector. Both healthcare and education are strategic pillars that anchor UAE Vision 2021, so we are contributing to our country’s reservoir of knowledge and medical talent pool.”

According to Professor Sehamuddin Galadari, Chairperson of Al Jalila Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Committee and one of the Arab world’s most distinguished academics and scientists: “This programme is a prime example of how education – in particular the scientific disciplines – can thrive when there is a supportive national strategy in place. While improvements in healthcare have led to an increase in life expectancy, this in turn has led to a greater demand for medical professionals and therefore we cannot ignore the underlying need for capacity building. As more locally nurtured medical graduates emerge, they will set an inspiring example and motivate other gifted students to

also further their medical studies, thus helping to make the UAE much more competitive on the global stage.”
The programme forms part of the Foundation’s medical education pillar, which in turn compliments the pillars of medical treatment and research. The scholarships will be sustained through fundraising initiatives in which the Foundation engages private donors, corporate sponsors and the wider public, while collaborating with a range of authorities, corporates and institutions.

Dr Abdulkareem Sultan Al Olama, CEO of Al Jalila Foundation, noted that the programme comes at a time when the UAE medical landscape is undergoing some far-reaching changes: “If we look at the global frontrunners in healthcare, what sets them apart are their investments in developing their human capital. The UAE has the medical talents on one hand and the strategic backing on the other, so these scholarships are the link in the chain to make us a leading centre of medical excellence. The improvements will begin in healthcare but they will not end there, as there will be related increases in productivity, social cohesion and national prosperity. Each stream of graduates will contribute to the country’s quality of healthcare – and, by extension, the quality of life.”
The Foundation’s efforts to raise funds that will be invested in medical treatment, education and research are ongoing, and prospective donors or participants are invited to contact Al Jalila Foundation on info@aljalilafoundation.ae or 800 ALJALILA for more information.