Among the Saudi ministers who steered the course of administrative work in the early 1960s was Dr. Hasan Yusuf Nasif, who assumed the position of Minister of Health in the government formed by King Saud in January (December) 1960. Nasif had risen through the administrative ranks before becoming a minister. After graduating from the Faculty of Medicine at King Fuad University (now Cairo University), he practiced medicine at Bab Sharif Hospital in Jeddah. He was later appointed Director of Ajyad Hospital in Mecca in 1955, then promoted to Director of the Health Delegation in Mecca. In 1957, he was appointed Director‑General of the Ministry of Health. During his early years in Riyadh, Nasif lived on the rooftop of the Fouta Clinic building before moving to the ‘Ulayysha district after becoming Minister of Health.
One of the most notable aspects of Nasif’s administrative legacy in the Ministry of Health was his introduction of what is now known as unannounced inspection visits and disguised field campaigns to hospitals and clinics. He would arrive without prior notice, entering kitchens, laboratories, and clinics away from the eyes of journalists and without any accompanying aides. In this regard, Nasif was a pioneer, and many ministers—whether in Health or other ministries—later followed his example.
Dr. Hasan Nasif’s tenure as minister did not last long. After serving for one year and three months, he left office when King Saud reshuffled the government in March 1962, and Nasif was among those who exited the cabinet. After leaving the ministry, he chose to live abroad, traveling to Egypt where he opened a private clinic in Alexandria. He devoted his time to overseeing the education of his sons and daughters, some of whom had already moved to Egypt for their studies during his time as minister.
Nasif was an occasional poet, and most of his poetry took the form of zajal, which he recited only on special occasions. Among his works was a zajal poem delivered at a ceremony honoring Sheikh Hamad al‑Jasir in 1959, on the occasion of al‑Jasir’s election as a full member of the Academy of the Arabic Language in Cairo, after serving ten years as a corresponding member. Another of his zajal poems was recited at a ceremony honoring his colleague Abdullah al‑Tariqi upon his graduation from the Faculty of Science at King Fuad University in 1944. Nasif published his poems in the Saudi press under the pseudonym “Ibn Sina.” Among these was a poem published in Hira’ newspaper in 1378 AH, written as a playful response to the poem “Thawrat al‑Shakk” (Revolution of Doubt) by Prince Abdullah al‑Faisal, then Minister of Interior. Nasif’s poem was characterized by humor and lightheartedness, referencing Prince Abdullah al‑Faisal’s farm, Hayyalah, where the prince was known to host guests and personally cook for them, as Nasif recounts.
Nasif enriched the Saudi library with his valuable book “Memoirs of a Former Student,” in which he recorded, with remarkable detail, numerous anecdotes, events, and stories related to Saudi students studying in Cairo during the 1940s. After this long career in public service, Hasan Nasif—may God grant him health and well‑being—now resides in Jeddah. I believe he must have written memoirs covering his professional life and what followed, although my friends from the Nasif family deny this. Yet the one who authored Memoirs of a Former Student is surely capable of writing about the period that came after his student days, especially since he witnessed many of the profound transformations that reshaped Saudi society across numerous fields