The American Mission Hospital is a 120 year old private
not-for-profit
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
hospital located in
Manama, Bahrain
Manama ( ar, المنامة ', Bahrani pronunciation: ) is the capital and largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 200,000 people as of 2020. Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is home to a very d ...
.
Established in 1903, as the Mason Memorial Hospital, it was the first modern hospital in the country
and, possibly, along the entire Southern
Arabian Gulf region. Today, the hospital offers specialist medical, dental, and wellness services from its main branch in
Manama
Manama ( ar, المنامة ', Bahrani Arabic, Bahrani pronunciation: ) is the capital and largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 200,000 people as of 2020. Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is h ...
, and from its three satellite clinics in the country, located at
Saar
Saar or SAAR has several meanings:
People Given name
*Saar Boubacar (born 1951), Senegalese professional football player
* Saar Ganor, Israeli archaeologist
*Saar Klein (born 1967), American film editor
Surname
* Ain Saar (born 1968), Est ...
,
Amwaj Islands
Amwaj Islands ( ar, جزر أمواج; transliterated: Juzur Amwaj) are a group of man-made islands, located in the Persian Gulf to the northeast of Bahrain, near the coast of Muharraq island. They lie northeast of the capital, Manama, on Bahrain ...
and
Riffa
Riffa ( ar, الرفاع, ) is the second largest city in the Kingdom of Bahrain by area size. Riffa is divided into three parts: , and . The city is completely located in the Southern Governorate.
The city is growing fast: during the 2001 cen ...
.
Coinciding with its 120th anniversary, a fifth and the largest branch, ''King Hamad American Mission Hospital'', was opened in
A'Ali
A'ali ( ar, عالي) is a major town in northern Bahrain. It is a part of the Northern Governorate, although from 2001 to 2014 it lay within the Central Governorate. A'ali is famous for its ancient burial mounds, especially several very large ...
on 26 January 2023. But the hospital announced that it will start receiving patients at the new hospital, only from March 2023.
History
The origins of the hospital can be traced back to 1889, when ''Arabian Mission'', a Christian mission service organization, was established by graduating students of the
New Brunswick Theological Seminary
New Brunswick Theological Seminary is a Reformed Christian seminary with its main campus in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It was founded in 1784 and is one of the oldest seminaries in the United States. It is a seminary of the Reformed Church in Ame ...
, which was run by the
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church (, abbreviated NHK) was the largest Christian denomination in the Netherlands from the onset of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century until 1930. It was the original denomination of the Dutch Royal Family and ...
, in
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.[Samuel Zwemer
Samuel Marinus Zwemer (April 12, 1867 – April 2, 1952), nicknamed The Apostle to Islam, was an American missionary, traveler, and scholar. He was born at Vriesland, Michigan. In 1887 he received an A.B. from Hope College in Holland, Michigan, ...]
and
James Cantine
Reverend James Cantine, D.D. (March 3, 1861 – July 1, 1940) was an American missionary, scholar, and traveler. While studying at New Brunswick Theological Seminary in New Jersey, he co-founded the Arabian Mission with John Lansing and Samuel M ...
.
These two founders of the Arabian Mission went through intensive Arabic language training in Beirut, Lebanon, during 1890-1892, before they embarked on their work.
James Cantine went to
Basrah
Basra ( ar, ٱلْبَصْرَة, al-Baṣrah) is an Iraqi city located on the Shatt al-Arab. It had an estimated population of 1.4 million in 2018. Basra is also Iraq's main port, although it does not have deep water access, which is hand ...
in
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the F ...
, in August 1892, and immediately started building a school and a hospital there, while Zwemer traveled to Bahrain.
Zwemer landed on the shores of Bahrain on 7 December 1892 and started a medical dispensary. In 1895, during one of his periodic visits to Baghdad, he met an Australian missionary nurse, Amy Wilkes, and they soon got engaged. The following year, on 18 May 1896, they were married at the British consulate, in Baghdad, by one Rev. Canon Parfit.
After Zwemer came back to Bahrain with his bride, the now husband-wife team continued to run the clinic, dispensary, and bookshop, all from a rented house in Manama souq. Later, they moved to a mission house, from where they initiated some basic medical services. It was a precursor to the establishment of the hospital.
The first Western-trained
resident doctors, Sharon J Thoms and Marion Wells Thoms, a husband-and-wife team, both medical graduates of the University of Michigan, arrived in 1900. And they - with the Zwemers - decided to find a place to build a hospital.
In 1901, the then
Hakim of Bahrain
The King of the Kingdom of Bahrain ( ar, ملك مملكة البحرين) is the monarch and head of state of Bahrain. The House of Khalifa has been the ruling family since 1783. Between 1783 and 1971, the Bahraini monarch held the title of Hak ...
Isa ibn Ali Al Khalifa
Isa ibn Ali Al Khalifa (1848–9 December 1932) was the ruler of Bahrain from 1869 until his death. His title was Hakim of Bahrain. He is one of the longest reigning monarchs of the region, a reign lasting 63 years. He was forced by the Brit ...
helped them purchase land for the construction of a hospital complex to replace the mission house. Then, with sufficient donations from one Mason family in New York, the mission constructed the 24-bed ''Mason Memorial Hospital'' in 1902. It was officially opened on 26 January 1903.
Soon after the hospital opened, it began to attract thousands of patients from across the Gulf; from places like
Qatif
Qatif or Al-Qatif ( ar, ٱلْقَطِيف ''Al-Qaṭīf'') is a governorate and urban area located in Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. It extends from Ras Tanura and Jubail in the north to Dammam in the south, and from the Persian Gulf in the ...
,
al-Hasa Al-Ahsa or Al-Hasa may refer to:
* Al-Ahsa Governorate, a governorate in Saudi Arabia
* Al-Ahsa Oasis, an oasis region in eastern Saudi Arabia
* Hofuf, also known as Al-Ahsa, an urban center in the Al-Ahsa Oasis
* Al-Ahsa International Airport, Hof ...
,
Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...
,
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
,
Najd
Najd ( ar, نَجْدٌ, ), or the Nejd, forms the geographic center of Saudi Arabia, accounting for about a third of the country's modern population and, since the Emirate of Diriyah, acting as the base for all unification campaigns by the H ...
and
Bushire
Bushehr, Booshehr or Bushire ( fa, بوشهر ; also romanised as ''Būshehr'', ''Bouchehr'', ''Buschir'' and ''Busehr''), also known as Bandar Bushehr ( fa, ; also romanised as ''Bandar Būshehr'' and ''Bandar-e Būshehr''), previously Antioc ...
.
Even though another hospital, in memory of Queen Victoria who died in 1901, was set up by the British in 1905, on the requests and donations of some Hindu merchants in Bahrain, it was not consistent in its functioning. The
Victoria Memorial Hospital (Bahrain)
Victoria Memorial Hospital was a hospital that existed in Manama, Bahrain from 1905 to 1948.
__TOC__
Background
In November 1901, once the official period of mourning for Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – ...
was often short of staff and it is recorded that the patients were sent to the Mission Hospital.
By 1924, the mission hospital was having 33,000 outpatients and 600 inpatients a year, with an average of 100 patients being treated a day.
Throughout the hospital's history, the majority of healthcare workers in the hospital were employed from Western countries or India although many Bahrainis were also recruited and trained in the medical sciences.
In 1927, seeing the growing need for a separate facility for women alone, and for children, the Arabian Mission raised funds and then, the ''Marion Wells Thoms Memorial Hospital for Women and Children'' was opened, in addition to the Mason Memorial Hospital. It was named after Dr Marion Wells Thoms, who had died of typhoid in 1905.
In 1962, the hospital expanded by opening two new buildings in central Manama and renamed itself the 'American Mission Hospital' that same year. The expansion was opened by the Emir of Bahrain
Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa
Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa (; 3 June 1931 – 6 March 1999) was the first emir of Bahrain from 1961 until his death in 1999.
Born in Jasra, Bahrain, he became emir upon the death of his father, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
Early life and reign
...
. On the brink of closing in the 1980s, the hospital revamped its services by offering 24-hour services, opening new specialised ENT and orthopaedic clinics.
In 2000, the hospital opened its first satellite clinic in
Saar
Saar or SAAR has several meanings:
People Given name
*Saar Boubacar (born 1951), Senegalese professional football player
* Saar Ganor, Israeli archaeologist
*Saar Klein (born 1967), American film editor
Surname
* Ain Saar (born 1968), Est ...
,
on the western side of Bahrain, offering dental and medical services. The same year, a bridge connecting two hospital buildings across the busy Isa Al Kabeer road in
Manama
Manama ( ar, المنامة ', Bahrani Arabic, Bahrani pronunciation: ) is the capital and largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 200,000 people as of 2020. Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is h ...
was opened.
In 2014, another clinic was opened in
Amwaj Islands
Amwaj Islands ( ar, جزر أمواج; transliterated: Juzur Amwaj) are a group of man-made islands, located in the Persian Gulf to the northeast of Bahrain, near the coast of Muharraq island. They lie northeast of the capital, Manama, on Bahrain ...
, to the northeast of Manama.
In March 2018, yet another clinic was opened in
Riffa
Riffa ( ar, الرفاع, ) is the second largest city in the Kingdom of Bahrain by area size. Riffa is divided into three parts: , and . The city is completely located in the Southern Governorate.
The city is growing fast: during the 2001 cen ...
.
With growing demand in Saar, the hospital services are now being offered, since 2016, from a larger purpose-built clinic in Saar, very close to the old location.
In 2018, a new ''Zwemer Clinic'' was also opened, in the main Manama branch premises, on 5 March, to cater to those in the low income groups with financial needs.
The hospital's staff accommodation was also upgraded in 2019, when a new apartment complex was built for the staff.
Leaders
In the late 1890s, the sick and injured were being served from
Samuel Zwemer
Samuel Marinus Zwemer (April 12, 1867 – April 2, 1952), nicknamed The Apostle to Islam, was an American missionary, traveler, and scholar. He was born at Vriesland, Michigan. In 1887 he received an A.B. from Hope College in Holland, Michigan, ...
's dispensary, and later, from the mission house where the Zwemers stayed. But, the need for a proper hospital with well-trained doctors was growing fast. And Zwemer's plea, to the Arabian Mission, for a full medical appointment, finally paid off at the end of the nineteenth century, with the arrival of Dr Sharon J Thoms, who became the hospital's first leader, or the Chief Medical Officer.
On the very first day of his arrival, Dr Sharon Thoms had to treat a pearl diver attacked by a shark. The patient was brought in with one of his arms very badly mangled, while the other was completely bitten off, below the elbow.
That arm had to be amputated with anaesthetic administered, an advancement in medical technology which was very new to Bahrain then. And the cutting of bone, stitching of skin, and dressing of this man's stump, while men around him were fainting – as they saw the procedure – was Dr Thoms' official initiation into medical and surgical work in Bahrain.
It was something that Dr Thoms was completely unprepared for. But it was under his leadership that work began for the new hospital building, and the Mason Memorial Hospital opened two years later.
Referring to the incident, Dr Thoms had written: "The patient's father and brothers did not return from the pearl banks until several days afterward, and one morning they all came to the dispensary with the patient. The whole family showed signs of gratitude, but the father weeping covered my hands with kisses and my head with blessings" (''Field Reports and Quarterly Letters from the Arabian Mission'', July–Sep 1900, No.35, Page 6).
Sources: ''AMH Archives, Changing Scenes book by Angela Clarke'',.
The hospital has placed the pictures of all the past Chief Medical Officers, who served over the last hundred years, with their names and tenures, on a wall in its main Manama branch, near its ENT Department.
In 2017, as a part of its strategic development goals, the hospital's board of directors, representing the Reformed Church in America, reorganized senior leadership positions. The board named Dr George Cheriyan as the corporate CEO and member of the board of directors, and it named Julia Tovey as the group CEO, the first female to hold this leadership position in the hospital's almost 120-year history.
Books
For nearly a century, much of what happened in the various stations of the Arabian Mission, including in the Bahrain station, was regularly and meticulously recorded. All the reports of missionaries are now available in the archives of the
Reformed Church of America
The Reformed Church in America (RCA) is a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States. It has about 152,317 members. From its beginning in 1628 until 1819, it was the North American branch of the Dutch Reforme ...
and in the volumes of ''Neglected Arabia 1902–1949'' and ''Arabia Calling 1949–1962''.
Some chief medical officers, doctors, and other staff have also written books on their experiences at the American Mission Hospital of Bahrain, and on other matters, of their personal interests. Some of those books are listed below.
# ''History of the Arabian Mission'' by Alfred DeWitt and Mason and Frederick J. Barny, 1926, Board of Foreign Missions, Reformed Church of America, New York.
#''Doctor in Arabia'' by Paul W Harrison, MD, 1940, First edition, Van Rees Press, New York, ASIN B000PS29SI
# ''Kuwait Before Oil: Memoirs of Dr. C. Stanley G. Mylrea'', Contributors : C. Stanley G. Mylrea, Samuel Marinus Zwemer, Mrs. John Van Ess, Mrs. Abbe Livingston Warnshuis, of the Arabian Mission, Published in 1951.
# ''A Tool in His Hand'' (Hardcover) by Ann M. Harrison, 1958, First Edition, Friendship Press, New York. ASIN : B000NXFAX6
# ''My Arabian Days and Nights: A Medical Missionary in Old Kuwait'' by Dr Eleanor T. Calverley, MD, First Edition (Hardcover), 1958, Thomas Y Crowell Company, New York
ASIN
B000J0XROW# ''A Life and Times ( Biography of William Harold Storm, MD)'' by Janet Mabel Storm Pengelley, 2005, First ed., Perth: Pengelly,
# ''Doctors for the Kingdom'' by Paul L Armerding, 2003, (First ed.). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm B Eerdmans Publishing Co. .
# ''Transitions: In Mission, In Medicine, In Bahrain'' by Corrine Overkamp MD, FACP, First Edition, 2011, The archives of the Reformed Church of America – Missionary Resources, New Jersey. , ASIN B009AOKRNW
# ''Seashells of Oman'' by Donald Bosch and Eloise Bosch. The husband and wife were also reputed
conchologist
Conchology () is the study of mollusc shells. Conchology is one aspect of malacology, the study of molluscs; however, malacology is the study of molluscs as whole organisms, whereas conchology is confined to the study of their shells. It includ ...
s who collected and catalogued seashells, and some shells or marine molluscs are named after them
# ''Seashells of Eastern Arabia'' by Donald Bosch, R.G. Moolenbeek & P. Graham Oliver, edited by Peter Dance
Departments
According to the hospital's website, it is currently offering its services through the following departments :
# **Zwemer Clinic in Manama is for the low-income workers.
It is also the only place in Manama where Pre Employment Check is done.
Awards
In May 2020, the hospital achieved first place in two categories of Business Worldwide Magazine (BWM) 2020
GCC ''Business Excellence Awards''. Best Private Non-profit Healthcare Provider – GCC and 'Business Leadership and Outstanding Contribution to Healthcare – GCC', which was won by Group CEO Julia Maria Tovey.
Dr George Cheriyan, the corporate CEO of AMH, was listed among the winners in the ''CEO Today Middle East Awards'' of 2020 and 2021, by the CEO Today magazine.
In 2015, AMH was listed among the best hospitals in the Arabian Gulf region by the International Socrates Committee based in Oxford, England. That year, Dr George Cheriyan was also announced as the 'Manager of the Year' for the region.
Accreditations
In 2017, the main branch in Manama and the satellite branches in Saar and Amwaj Islands have been awarded Diamond status – the highest level of accreditation given to hospitals by the
National Health Regulatory Authority
The National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA) is an independent regulatory body established in 2010, under Law No. 38 of 2009, of the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Bahrain's hospitals, medical centres, pharmacies, physicians, surgeons, nurses, pharmacist ...
(NHRA) of Bahrain. The accreditation is awarded, after NHRA's assessment, once, every three years.
The Diamond Status was re-affirmed in April 2021 when, once again, all the three locations were reviewed and re-accredited by
NHRA
The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is a drag racing governing body, which sets rules in drag racing and hosts events all over the United States and Canada. With over 40,000 drivers in its rosters, the NHRA claims to be the largest motorspo ...
.
In May 2021, the hospital became the first private hospital in Bahrain to achieve the CAP accreditation for its Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and second in the country to achieve this, after the government facility King Hamad University Hospital.
Ten years earlier, on 17 May 2007, AMH had become the first hospital in the Kingdom of Bahrain to have achieved accreditation through ACHS International (ACHSI), Australia's leading health care accreditation agency, which is recognised by the International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQua), for both, its standards and its accreditations programs.
And that status was reaffirmed in 2010.
The hospital currently has the certifications of and ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018 for the ''Provision of In-patient and Out-patient Medical Services including Training, Dental, Diagnostic and Pharmacy Services'' from
Bureau Veritas
Bureau Veritas is a French company specialized in testing, inspection and certification founded in 1828. It operates in a variety of sectors, including building and infrastructure (27% of revenue), agri-food and commodities (23% of revenue), ...
, UK. It had had the OHSAS 18001:2007 earlier
The hospital is also the authorized international training centre for the
American Heart Association
The American Heart Association (AHA) is a nonprofit organization in the United States that funds cardiovascular medical research, educates consumers on healthy living and fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and death ...
and conducts courses like Basic Life support (BLS), Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS), Heart Saver and First Aid courses for healthcare workers as well as for all those interested.
Community Outreach
The hospital's mission statement says that it provides healthcare "on the biblical principles of Love, Compassion and Grace".
Wherever required, with the permissions and support of the
Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Labour and Social Development, the hospital collaborates with various social and philanthropic organizations to offer support to community on health related matters.
Many Bahraini as well as expatriate community groups and societies are given free health checks,
educational talks and online discussions, and demonstrations, to spread health awareness. According to its corporate CEO Dr George Cheriyan, "Our community outreach programs are developed around the needs of the people in Bahrain. Care of the elderly, the special needs children, reaching out to labor camps are some of the activities we are involved in".
Several organizations support AMH's community outreach work, among the blind, among children with down syndrome and among social centres, as a part of the respective organizations' CSR initiatives. In association with ''Yousif & Aysha Almoayyed Charity'', on 5 August 2018, the hospital held comprehensive medical check-up for children with Down Syndrome at the American Mission Hospital in Manama. In March 2022, it participated in the ''World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD)'' Walk for Fun event, organized in collaboration with OneHeartBahrain and Lulu Hypermarket.
Annual Interschool events like ‘''Medathlon''’, where quizzes, elocution contests, and short film making contests are held to promote medical science and health awareness among children and young people.
Asian School Bahrain won the ''AMH Health is Wealth Trophy'' in ''Medathlon 2019''. And, in December 2020, the Indian School Bahrain has won the trophy in ''Med-athlon 2020'', which was held on a virtual platform due to COVID-19 considerations.
AMH Medathlon 2022 "Health is Wealth" Trophy was won by the New Indian School, in December 2022.
Art Contests are also conducted on the same lines.
The hospital produces a Family Health magazine, 3 times a year, which is distributed freely, along with many booklets prepared by staff on health related matters.
Island Classic Golf Tournament
''AMH Island Classic Golf Tournament'' is an annual fixture in the sporting calendar of Bahrain, usually around October–November. It is held under the patronage of King
Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa
Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa ( ar, حمد بن عيسى بن سلمان آل خليفة '; 28 January 1950) is King of Bahrain since 14 February 2002, after ruling as Emir of Bahrain from 6 March 1999.
He is the son of Isa bin Salman ...
, at his private golf course in Saffriya.
In 1997, the hospital's growth necessitated the construction of a new building and also an overhead bridge to connect the old building with the new one, across a busy street in
Manama
Manama ( ar, المنامة ', Bahrani Arabic, Bahrani pronunciation: ) is the capital and largest city of Bahrain, with an approximate population of 200,000 people as of 2020. Long an important trading center in the Persian Gulf, Manama is h ...
. To raise funds for their construction, the American Mission Hospital and the American Association of Bahrain decided to organize this annual golf tournament.
Every year, the funds raised through this event are used for the hospital expansion projects like new specialist clinics, for purchases of state-of-the-art medical and surgical equipment, and for community outreach programs which include free health camps, village health checks, and events that spread awareness related to health and medical issues.
During the championship's 10th anniversary in 2007, Paul Armerding, the then CMO and CEO had said, "The first Island Classic was held in February 1997. Receiving the patronage of the HH the late Amir, Shaikh
Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa
Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa (; 3 June 1931 – 6 March 1999) was the first emir of Bahrain from 1961 until his death in 1999.
Born in Jasra, Bahrain, he became emir upon the death of his father, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
Early life and reign
...
, was very significant. It was the royal imprimatur, a signal to the community that he gave credibility to our entire fund raising exercise".
The Island Classic golf tournament is played under the Florida scramble format. There are two flights: Championship and Premiership which allows various skill levels of golfers to participate. The King's golf course has seen some tremendous action and exciting moments over the 3-day tournament each year.
Among those who had teed off on this golf course are world leaders like
George Bush Sr
George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...
. and
Fidel Ramos
Fidel Valdez Ramos (, ; March 18, 1928 – July 31, 2022), popularly known as FVR and Eddie Ramos, was a Filipino general and politician who served as the 12th president of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. He was the only career military ...
, professional golfers like Scott McCaw and Chris Kelby and celebrity sportspersons like
Boris Becker
Boris Franz Becker (, ; born 22 November 1967) is a German former world No. 1 tennis player. Becker was successful from the start of his career, winning the Wimbledon Championships at the age of 17. He ultimately won six Grand Slam singles tit ...
. In fact, Boris Becker, the tennis champion, had come to participate in the AMH Island classic in November 2007.
The 22nd AMH Island Classic charity golf tournament was held in 2019, and the 23rd AMH Island Classic which was scheduled to be held in November 2020 has been postponed due to the covid pandemic.
The 23rd Island Classic Golf Tournament was held during 27-29 October 2022. The first place winners were the team from Riffa Views, while AMH Saar and Gulf Air came second and third.
Wellness
AMH is among the first hospitals in Bahrain to focus on wellness and preventative health. The Riffa clinic, which opened in 2018, has a Wellness Centre, with a large portion of its facility allocated to health and fitness training. The trainers provide wellness advice, at this place which has a well-equipped gym, an indoor swimming pool, and other facilities. In A’Ali too, a new wellness centre with the latest state of the art equipment and facilities is also being built, at the ''King Hamad American Mission Hospital'' scheduled to open in 2022.
The tie-up with Soza Health, a health tech company from UK, from October 2020, showed AMH's willingness and readiness to promote preventative health strategies and lifestyle changes, in Bahrain. It was announced that these health assessments, backed by medical research, will show individuals where they stand on the wellness spectrum. It was expected to help people make important lifestyle modifications. However, the hospital announced that it ended its collaboration with Soza on 31 March 2022.
Role in US-Bahrain Relations
The hospital has been a key link in
Bahrain-US relations for about 120 years.
In April 2018, addressing the American expatriate community in Bahrain, King
Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa
Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa ( ar, حمد بن عيسى بن سلمان آل خليفة '; 28 January 1950) is King of Bahrain since 14 February 2002, after ruling as Emir of Bahrain from 6 March 1999.
He is the son of Isa bin Salman ...
had said:
The then US Ambassador to Bahrain
Justin Siberell
Justin Hicks Siberell (born 1966) is an American diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Bahrain from 2017 to 2020.
Early life and education
Originally from California, Siberell received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from ...
had also said "The United States’ relationship with Bahrain is one of our oldest and closest in the region. It began more than a century ago, with the arrival of a group of remarkable and selfless individuals who founded the American Mission Hospital in Manama. Their example – of service, kindness and friendship – provides the foundation upon which we have built our close bond."
On 27 September 2016, in New York City, King
Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa
Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa ( ar, حمد بن عيسى بن سلمان آل خليفة '; 28 January 1950) is King of Bahrain since 14 February 2002, after ruling as Emir of Bahrain from 6 March 1999.
He is the son of Isa bin Salman ...
was presented the Samuel Zwemer award by the
Reformed Church of America
The Reformed Church in America (RCA) is a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States. It has about 152,317 members. From its beginning in 1628 until 1819, it was the North American branch of the Dutch Reforme ...
(RCA), in recognition of his prominent support for the American Mission Hospital and for health services in general, in the Kingdom of Bahrain, as well as for the king's keenness to promote freedom of religion.
On behalf of the King of Bahrain, the then Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaikh
Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa
Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa (born 24 April 1960) is a Bahraini diplomat who served as Bahrain's Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2005 until January 2020. Khalid became only the second foreign minister in Bahrain's history after replacing Moham ...
had received the award from RCA's Secretary General Mr. Tom de Vries.
On 26 June 2019, when the King was being briefed about the hospital's expansion plans and its new building, coming up in
A'ali
A'ali ( ar, عالي) is a major town in northern Bahrain. It is a part of the Northern Governorate, although from 2001 to 2014 it lay within the Central Governorate. A'ali is famous for its ancient burial mounds, especially several very large ...
, the king lauded AMH medical achievements over the past 120 years, and said,
AMH had also participated in "This is Bahrain" event held in Los Angeles in September 2017. It showcased the long history of Bahrain-US relationship through American Mission Hospital service for nearly 120 years by providing healthcare to the community of Bahrain.
The event in Los Angeles was organised under the patronage of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and was attended, on his behalf, by the King's representative for Charity Work and Youth Affairs Shaikh
Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa
Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa ( ar, ناصر بن حمد آل خليفة; born 8 May 1987) is a member of the Bahraini royal family, Commander of Bahrain's Royal Guard, deputy chairman of the Higher Committee for Energy and Natural Resourc ...
. Shaikh Nasser unveiled the details of King Hamad Global Centre for Inter-faith Dialogue and peaceful Co-existence on the occasion.
On an earlier occasion too, on 9 September 2013, the king of Bahrain hailed the strong historic cooperation between Bahrain and the US, when he received the Chief Executive of the American Mission Hospital George Cheriyan and the hospital board members, at the Sakhir Palace.
With the US Naval Forces Central Command Fifth Fleet stationed in Bahrain, the hospital has been regularly visited by many US Ambassadors to Bahrain, Admirals and Vice Admirals.
Several Americans, whether working for the Navy or in various other capacities in the country, often choose AMH for medical services.
Future Plans
In October 2018, the hospital formally announced the construction of King Hamad American Mission Hospital (KHAMH) a new 100-bed multi-specialty hospital in
A’Ali, in two phases. It is set to open in 2022. According to the hospital's corporate CEO, the new hospital is "a futuristic concept that will take us through the next 25 years. This is why we have introduced new ideas like a hybrid system – including medical robots and a helipad that we can rely on, as road traffic increases. The hospital will be full digitised and will also focus on providing medical intervention for people at home".
Also, this new BD25m (US$66.3m) hospital will be the first eco-friendly solar-run hospital in Bahrain, according to LaingBuisson, the official provider of independent sector healthcare market data to the UK Government's Office for National Statistics.
On 26 June 2019, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa received the hospital leadership at his Qudaibiya Palace, in connection with this expansion project.
And the king was briefed on the AMH future development programmes with a scale model and a photo album of the new AMH building structures.
In September 2021, ''Solar Quarter'' announced that 40% of the work on AMH's eco-friendly solar power-run private hospital in Bahrain is now complete.
In March 2022, Bahrain's Health Minister Faeqa bint Saeed Al Saleh received the American Mission Hospital (AMH) Corporate CEO and Chief Medical Officer Dr. George Cheriyan to review the developments of the new King Hamad-American Mission Hospital project in A’Ali.
On 30 March 2022, senior government officials paid a field visit to the site and were given an update on the progress. The Chairman of the Supreme Council of Health (SCH), Lieutenant General Dr. Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, the
Minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services.
Some governments have separate ministers for mental health.
Coun ...
,
Faeqa bint Said Al Saleh, and the Chief Executive of the
National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA), Dr. Meriam Al Jalahma, the Health Ministry Undersecretary Dr. Walid Al Mena, and SCH Secretary General Ibrahim Al Newakhdha were shown around by the hospital corporate CEO Dr George Cheriyan.
See also
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Health in Bahrain Life expectancy in Bahrain at birth in 2013 was 76 for men and 78 for women. Compared to many countries in the region, the prevalence of AIDS and HIV is relatively low. Malaria and tuberculosis (TB) do not constitute major problems in Bahrain as ne ...
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Healthcare in Bahrain Bahrain has a universal health care system, dating back to 1960. Government-provided health care is free to Bahraini citizens and subsidized for non-Bahrainis. Healthcare expenditure accounted for 4.5% of Bahrain's GDP, according to the World Health ...
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Ministry of Health (Bahrain)
The Ministry of Health is responsible for providing integrated preventive and curative health services, through a network of primary, secondary and tertiary health care facilities, in the Kingdom of Bahrain. These healthcare services are provided ...
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National Health Regulatory Authority
The National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA) is an independent regulatory body established in 2010, under Law No. 38 of 2009, of the Kingdom of Bahrain.
Bahrain's hospitals, medical centres, pharmacies, physicians, surgeons, nurses, pharmacist ...
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List of hospitals in Bahrain
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Salmaniya Medical Complex
Salmaniya Medical Complex ( ar, مجمع السلمانية الطبي) is a public hospital situated in the Salmaniya district of Manama in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Established in 1957 and having a bed capacity of approximately 1,200 beds, it is ...
References
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Hospitals in Bahrain
Hospitals established in 1903
Bahrain–United States relations