His Excellency, Prof. Faleh bin Rajallah Al-Solami, President of King Khalid University, inaugurated the "Child Life" department at the university's medical city. This significant step aims to provide comprehensive psychological support to pediatric patients and their families, in line with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030, which focuses on improving the quality of life. The inauguration coincides with the university's celebration of International Children's Day, reaffirming its commitment to supporting children's rights and providing comprehensive care.

During the inauguration, His Excellency emphasized that the department represents an exceptional leap in the services provided by the medical city. He also praised the pivotal role that the "Child Life" department will play in enhancing the quality of healthcare services provided to pediatric patients and their families, considering it a landmark that reflects the university's ambitious vision of providing comprehensive and innovative healthcare. His Excellency also highlighted the importance of strengthening cooperation with health colleges and specialized societies, with the aim of developing this specialty and expanding the scope of its services to meet the highest global standards.

The university's vice president for administrative affairs and deputy chairman of the medical city board, Prof. Mohammad bin Hamed Al-Buhairi, explained that the department provides a comprehensive package of services that combine psychological, emotional, educational, and recreational aspects. The focus is on preparing children psychologically before medical procedures to reduce anxiety and fear, thereby enhancing their readiness for treatment. The department also offers carefully designed educational and recreational activities aimed at developing children's intellectual and creative abilities and enhancing their skills in a supportive environment. In addition, the department provides specialized psychological and emotional counseling for families, enabling them to cope with the challenges associated with treating their children and better understand the stages of treatment, which positively impacts supporting children and enhancing their response to treatment.

His Excellency also witnessed the signing of a cooperation agreement between the university's medical city and the "Child Life" Association, with the aim of providing innovative services to support pediatric patients and their families and enhance the quality of healthcare provided to them. The agreement was signed on behalf of the university by the executive director of the medical city, Prof. Fouad bin Idris Obaq, while the "Child Life" Association was represented by its chairman, Mr. Fahd bin Thnayan Al-Thnayan.

The agreement includes several areas of cooperation, including the development of specialized educational and training programs in the field of child life, the introduction of services that contribute to supporting children's psychological and emotional growth, and the improvement of the therapeutic environment to be more child-friendly. The agreement also aims to support research to develop innovative strategies for managing pain and ensuring children's emotional safety, in line with the highest global standards in healthcare.

His Excellency toured the corners of the entities participating in the International Children's Day events, which were held at the medical city, including colleges, departments, committees, and health clubs. His Excellency was briefed on the services provided by these entities to meet the health and psychological needs of children through innovative awareness programs that focus on child care and promoting their mental and physical health. His Excellency also learned about the carefully designed educational and recreational initiatives aimed at improving the quality of children's lives, which aim to develop their skills and raise community awareness of the importance of their rights and needs, in line with best global practices in this field.

His Excellency also witnessed an honoring ceremony for the entities participating in the International Children's Day events, where certificates were presented in recognition of their outstanding efforts in making this event a success. The ceremony also included honoring the team of the project to raise the readiness of the first phase of the university hospital's operation, in appreciation of their distinguished contributions to making a qualitative leap in the level of healthcare services provided by the university.

The visit concluded with a tour for the staff of the "Child Life" Association around the university city in Al-Fara'a, where they were briefed on the details of the university city with all its modern and advanced facilities. These facilities were designed according to the latest global standards to provide a comprehensive educational environment, including academic and administrative buildings, as well as sports and service facilities. They also listened to a detailed explanation of the advanced infrastructure that was designed to enhance innovation in managing the university's academic and human resources.