RCSI was honoured for its contribution to medical education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) today at an event hosted to celebrate the 45th UAE National Day.

The event, which took place at the Embassy of the UAE in Dublin, saw seven awards being presented across a number of categories, from commerce to tourism.

Presenting the award for the Education Category to Mr Ken Mealy, Vice President of RCSI, His Excellency Dr Saeed Al Shamsi, UAE Ambassador to Ireland, acknowledged RCSI as the leading educational provider to the Emirates.

His Excellency also commended the College on its long relationship with the UAE which dates back to the early 1970. The UAE itself was founded on 2 December 1971, making the relationship between the UAE and RCSI almost as long as the foundation of the UAE itself.

His Excellency went on to thank RCSI for its continued support to the UAE and remarked on the enormous contribution to healthcare that RCSI had provided through the medicine programme offered in Dublin and the RCSI Institute of Leadership in Dubai.

The UAE consists of seven emirates, six of the seven (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Fujairah) combined on 2 December 1971 with the seventh, Ras Al Khaimah, joining the federation on 10 February 1972.