Personal Details/Academic Background
Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah was born in Makkah AlMukarramah in 1954. Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah was appointed as Minister of Health, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in February 2009. In May 2011, he was Elected as President of the Executive Board of The Arab Health Ministers’ Council.
Prior to being appointed as Minister of Health, Dr. Al Rabeeah held the position of Chief Executive Officer of the National Guard Health Affairs from 2003 to 2009. He was also President of King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences from 2005 to 2009.
He was appointed as Deputy CEO at NGHA from 1995 – 2003 and held the position of Vice President of the College of Nursing and Allied Medical Sciences from 2002 – 2003. Prior to him joining National Guard Health Affairs, Dr. Al Rabeeah was Consultant Pediatric Surgeon at King Khalid University Hospital and subsequently King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (1988 – 1995).
Dr. Al Rabeeah obtained his MBBS, Faculty of Medicine, from King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in July 1979. He completed his Internship in August 1980 and received his Pediatric Surgery Fellowship from the University of Alberta Hospital, Edmonton, Canada. He completed his residency in General and Pediatric surgery at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1987.
Professional Milestone
He is the recipient of many national and international awards, including the Fellowship through Distinction from the Faculty of Public Health (FFPH), Royal College of Physicians of the United Kingdom. He has also received the Sash of the First Order from Al Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University, as well as the Meritorious Award – The General Board of Polish Medical Doctors’ Association” Warsaw, 2008. In August 2005, he received the Medal of Merit, Commander Class from the President of Poland.
He also earned the King Abdulaziz Excellence Degree Medal in November 2003; as well as the King Abdulaziz First Degree Medal in November 2002.
Dr. Al Rabeeah is Chairman of many Councils and Boards including the Saudi Council of Health Services, Saudi Commission for Health Specialties and Council of Cooperative Health Insurance. He is also Chairman of the Board of Directors, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and
Research Centre (General Organization) as well as holding the position of Chairman and member of many national and Royal Cabinet Committees and Councils.
Dr. Al Rabeeah is the Head of the Surgical and Multidis-ciplinary Team for the National Programme for Conjoined Twins of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The first conjoined twins separation performed by Dr. Al Rabeeah took place in 1990 and subsequently 30 (thirty) sets of twins have been successfully separated and 69 cases reviewed. Cases that have been reviewed or separated have been referred from 17 countries. The National programme is sponsored by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz.
Dr. Al Rabeeah has been invited as a Key Note Speaker to many countries to deliver his lecture on the ‘Conjoined Twins Experience in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’.
Dr. Al Rabeeah’s lecture has been translated into French, German, Polish and Chinese languages. Dr. Al Rabeeah has written and published many scientific and medical articles in international reference journals.
He has also published a book about his surgical career entitled ‘My Experience with Conjoined Twins” – in Arabic. This book has also been translated into an English Abridged Version which is exhibited by the Ministry of Higher Education, KSA at many international exhibitions.
Dr. Al Rabeeah leads the Gulf’s largest economic health reforms. Since his appointment, Dr. Al Rabeeah has introduced major improvements and initiatives to the healthcare services and health infrastructure including major expansion of health facilities provided to the largest number of visitors (Mass gathering) in the world at the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
Taking into account the invaluable work in developing healthcare services in the Arab world and his commendable contributions to the advancement of medical services and education in the Arab countries, Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah deserves the Hamdan Award for Distinguished Personalities from the Arab world.
