The one-of-a-kind cooperation agreement signed four years ago by Semmelweis University and Germany’s largest clinical centre has borne its first fruits: the first graduates of the University’s Asklepios Campus Hamburg received their diplomas at a ceremony held at the Hungarian Embassy in Berlin.
After completing their first two years at Semmelweis University, German-language medical students may opt to continue the practical part of their training at Asklepios’s world-leading institutions in Hamburg where, in addition to expanding the students’ theoretical knowledge, emphasis is placed on scientific research and clinical practice, fitting into Germany’s dual vocational training system. At the end of their studies, students receive Semmelweis University’s diploma, recognised across the European Union.
A total of 19 students earned their diplomas this year, which were presented by Dr. Ágoston Szél, rector of Semmelweis University and Dr. István Karádi, dean of the Faculty of Medicine. “Many more students have enrolled in the subsequent years, and interest in the programme has been spectacular: on average, some 300 students apply for the 50 available places each year from locations ranging from Germany to Riga and Pécs,” Dr. Jörg Weidenhammer, director of the Asklepios Medical School GmbH, stated at a press conference which preceded the graduation ceremony.
Asklepios Campus Hamburg students follow a study programme based on Semmelweis University’s curriculum and take their exams in front of Hungarian professors. The annual tuition fee is EUR 14,000, about half the amount usually charged by Western European training institutions of Asklepios’s calibre.
Employing 44,000 people in its 140 hospitals and health care institutions across Germany, Asklepios Kliniken Gmbh’s main motivation in embarking on its collaboration with Semmelweis University was to ensure the supply of physicians for the future.
The idea for the joint training emerged in 2003, Dr. Tivadar Tulassay, former rector of Semmelweis University recalled. Collaborative work began in 2005 and, by 2008, the training programme had been set up and accredited. Thus, the first international medical faculty was established in Germany within the organisation framework of Semmelweis University.
Semmelweis University was the first Hungarian higher education institution to offer foreign language training its German-language medical programme which commenced in 1983. The English-language programme was added six years later. The University’s diploma, which can be earned in either of the three languages, enjoys considerable prestige around the world, giving its holder the right to practice in all EU member states without taking additional exams.
Source: MTI.hu
Eszter Kovács
Translated by Gina Varga-Gönczi
