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Awareness Day for Social Services

King Faisal Specialist Hospital launches a programme for children patients’ education in cooperation with the Ministry of Education

King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Riyadh in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, is set to launch an educational programme for long-stay inpatient children. This comes as a step towards supporting student patients to help avoid any interruption to their studies and to help them prepare for their exams at various education stages.   

Mrs. Hanan Al Saeif, the Assistant Manager of Patient’s Services at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Riyadh, explained during the Social Services Awareness Day held on Wednesday 30 March 2016 that “KFSH” is the first hospital in the Kingdom to adopt this kind of excellent educational service in cooperation with the Ministry of Education. The first phase she added will start with oncology patients at the beginning of the new academic year, while the second stage will include organ transplants and surgery patients.

She further explained that an education classroom has been prepared at the main hospital and another one at King Fahd National Centre for Children Cancer, which will be altered to hold open-style classes. A team of social services specialists has been set up to coordinate with new patients and determine the most suitable times for their classes so that they don’t contradict with patient’s treatment timing. The team, she added, is supported by specialist doctors who offer their advice to help make this initiative a successful one. She also praised the excellent response and support from the Ministry of Education that will designate a team of teachers for all subjects of the curriculum throughout the year. This is in addition to providing textbooks, educational aids and organizing examinations, which will have very positive effect on the patients’ educational achievement.

The assistant manager also emphasized on the many benefits of the programme. She pointed out that patients with complicated cases can avoid interruption to their education during their long stay that can extend to several months due to treatments, which otherwise may delay their studies and examinations and affecting their academic achievements.

Social Services Director at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Riyadh Waleed Bawazeer explained that the Social Services Awareness Day events held at the Hall of North Tower of KFSH covered a number of subjects; one of which was emphasizing the role of a social worker in protecting the child from abuse, which is important and an integral responsibility of the Hospital’s protection committee in addition to its role in spreading awareness and examining the child’s state and evaluating his/her social and family status. This is in addition to communicating with official departments such as the Ministry of Social Affairs with respect to victims of violence and harm.  

The Social Services Director also added that the Social Awareness Day shed light on other subjects such as the role of the treatment specialist in recreational therapy, and obstacles they face with organ transplant patients and how a social worker plays an important role in organ transplant operations, especially in liver transplants. Voluntary work programme was also a part of the event, whereby people were invited to offer their voluntary service and support to patients.