A delegation organised by the University of Pécs Medical School, Department of Public Health Medicine, Defence Research Centre and the EU-FIRE Group has visited Jordan between October 4 and 11, building on the three-year old contract between the Medical School and the Jordanian Royal Medical Services – RMS that was extended by another three years.
The head of the delegation was dr. István Kiss, director of the UP MS Department of Public Health Medicine. Other members of the delegation were dr. István Kobolka, head of the Defence Research Centre, and administration was handled by Tímea Németh-Szolár (PhD and Habilitation Office) and Katalin Nagy (Registrar’s Office). On the Jordanian side, the delegation was welcomed by dr. Yousef Jamal Zureikat, head of the RMS and his colleagues, dr. Abeer Haddadin, advisor of the ARC Supreme Court, and dr. Yazeed Gougazeh, assistant professor and nursing instructor of the RMS.
The goal of the visit, as the Jordanian Royal Medical Services has explained on their social media page, was to visit two institutes operated by the RMS: the Queen Alia Military Hospital and the King Hussein Medical Centre. The delegation also visited the refugee camp in Zaatar, keeping migration health viewpoints in mind.
An important item on the agenda was the clarification of the next steps of the negotiations on short-term training for Jordanian doctors in Pécs, which had already started earlier, and the initiation of possible cooperation to expand the professional training places for Jordanian students studying in Pécs in Jordanian health institutions. The discussions also focused on the Stipendium on PhD scholarships, and Péter Kovács, owner of EU-FIRE Group, presented the company's medical-specialist products to the Jordanian medical leaders.
The Jordanian Royal Medical Services operates 10 hospitals and medical centres and provides healthcare services to almost half of the local population with 27000 healthcare workers, from which 5000 are doctors. The main target group is army members and their families, but they also provide area care to locals. The two institutes visited by the delegation are exemplary both in organisation and equipment. The dental unit in the Hussein Medical Centre treats 4-500 patients each day, the waiting time for imaging services is no longer than two weeks, the equipment is generally 2-3 years old, and implanted prostheses for correctional treatments are made locally by experts.
Representing the delegation, Dr. István Kiss suggested that it would be beneficial for the Jordanian students of the Pécs Medical School to receive practical training in their home country, in a native language environment, possibly at their future workplace, thereby building their professional contacts, getting to know the Jordanian healthcare system, and knowing the working environment they would certainly acquire professional knowledge with a high level, up-to-date technical and scientific background.
During the negotiations, the Jordanian side welcomed the fact that the UP Medical School would soon be able to provide short-term medical training and assured the delegation that, as an accredited medical institution, they would be happy to welcome Jordanian students studying in Pécs for internships under pre-negotiated conditions.
The delegation has also visited the refugee camp in Zaatar, where almost 82000, mostly Syrian refugees are being treated, providing basic and mental hygiene care for the residents. During the short visit, members of the delegation were able to discuss opportunities, main challenges and conditions of operation with officers, doctors and technical experts on site.