Upon arrival, HM the King, who was accompanied by His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, was welcomed by the BDF Commander-in-Chief Field Marshal Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, National Guards Commander Lieutenant-General Shaikh Mohammed bin Isa Al Khalifa, State Minister for Defence Affairs Doctor Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, Chief of Staff Major-General Shaikh Daij bin Salman Al Khalifa, the KHUH Commander Brigadier-General Doctor Shaikh Salman bin Atyatallah Al Khalifa and the Muharraq Governor.
During the ceremony, the National Anthem was played and then some verses of the Holy Quran were recited.
After the State Minister for Defence Affairs and the KHUH Commander’s welcoming statements, Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Shumali spoke on behalf of the Muharraq inhabitants.
Then, HM King Hamad opened the KHUH officially and removed the souvenir poster.
After that, HM the King was greeted by the members of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.
Next, HM King Hamad toured the hospital’s sections and was briefed by department heads on each department’s duties and treatment services, met the Consulting doctors and was greeted by the BDF Executive team, charged with operating the KHUH.
Then, HM the King wrote the following statement in the VIP Record:
“In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Gracious,
It is a source of pleasure for us today to express our sincere greetings for the affiliates of the Bahrain Defence Force, marking the BDF’s 44th Anniversary, coinciding with the opening of the King Hamad University Hospital, a state-of-the-art medical monument established in line with constant keenness to provide the best medical services for all the citizens, and carry out its humanitarian message.
We appreciate highly and express our pride in the BDF’s national contributions. In addition to its basic role in vigorous defence of national achievements and security and sovereignty, BDF has contributed a lot in the kingdom’s development march and provided the most advanced services to citizens in various fields ever since it was founded. The BDF’s management of the KHUH is but an evidence of those contributions, so our BDF affiliates’ efforts deserve our appreciation.
We also express our pride and admiration of such a landmark medical monument, and we thank all those who responsible for it for their fruitful efforts, wishing the KHUH’s staff every success.
Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Monarch of the Kingdom of Bahrain.”
At the end of the ceremony, HM the King expressed delight at the BDF’s KHUH, an outstanding medical and academic icon opened during the kingdom’s celebrations of BDF’s 44th Anniversary.
HM the King also affirmed that BDF is a source of pride for all Bahraini people, as its one of the main national pillars that protects the kingdom’s achievements and safeguards the security of the kingdom and its stability, congratulating BDF all BDF affiliates on this dear national occasion.
HM the King also expressed pleasure at the opening of the KHUH which will serve all residents, reiterating Bahrain’s resolve to carry on development and modernization in all fields, especially the health one, so as to keep abreast of that latest technological innovations and take advantage of experiences and expertise of the civilized world.
HM the King also re-affirmed that Bahrain’s leadership and people represent a loving and cohesive family, which, he said, has gained the kingdom a prestigious reputation at international gatherings and entitled it, as a peace-loving country, to be an effective member regarding the promotion of the values of justice and right