Arab Board for Medical Specialties: a decade of strifes and strides

ABSTRACT

On February 17, 1979 the By-laws of the Arab Board for Medical Specialities were approved by the Supreme Council representing seventeen Arab countries. Since then the Arab Board has made remarkable strides inspite of innumerable constraints, top of it comes the financial problem. Seventy one [71] hospitals in various Arab countries have been accredited following proper evaluation. One hundred twenty [120] programmes have been recognized for training toward certification in 4 major specializations, namely General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics/Gynaecology and Paediatrics [Table 1, 2]. Two hundred fully qualified and experienced physicians participate in the Scientific Councils to supersise and monitor the training programmes. Over 2700 physicians are enrolled in these programmes. A remarkable increase in enrollment [27%] was noted in 1988 registrants