Dr. Ágoston Szél, Rector of Semmelweis University and Dr. Pop Marcel, Head of the Directorate of International Relations visited Vietnam with the aim of strengthening existing partnerships and establishing new co-operations. They discussed the possibilities of the Erasmus+ scholarship program among others. In China, Dr. Zoltán Zsolt Nagy, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Dr. Yu Funian, guest lecturer at the Faculty of Health Sciences, joined the delegation. The aim of the visit was to deepen the relationship between the two universities and to continue the negotiations.
Semmelweis University has maintained relations with Vietnamese partners for nearly a decade and has discussed several project opportunities earlier, such as the establishment of a medical training centre in Ho Chi Minh City (Hospital 115), or expert assistance at various levels in connection with the ongoing health reforms in Vietnam. During the visit, with the participation of the newly opened Hungarian Consulate General, discussions were initiated with two medical universities and a Hungarian businessman living in Vietnam. The elaboration of the Erasmus Mobility Program was also put forward.
During the negotiation at the Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine, the possibility of developing a mobility program supported by the Erasmus program was discussed. The participants of the meeting agreed that the Erasmus+ scholarship program might be used to fill with content the Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2011 with the University of Medicine and Pharmacy at HCMC, one of Vietnam’s leading medical university. Dr. Tibor Baloghdi, Consul General in Vietnam, highlighted the importance of developing two-way teacher and student mobility, adding that many South Korean citizens live in Vietnam, many of whom would like to study in Hungary. The delegation also met with doctors graduated from Semmelweis University during the visit.
In China, the four-member delegation visited one of the hospitals of Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a research institute and a farm for cultivating and processing plants for traditional therapeutic purposes. Dr. Yu Funian, guest lecturer of the Faculty of Health Sciences, presented the situation of traditional Chinese medicine in Hungary. At the plenary session organized by SHUTCM, Dr. Ágoston Szél, Rector of SU, and Dr Xu, President of SHUTCM, inaugurated the Erasmus office to coordinate projects between the two universities. Dr. Xu, who was proposed for the Doctor Honoris Causa title of Semmelweis University by the Faculty of Health Sciences, handed a memorial plaquette to Dr. Ágoston Szél as a recognition for his work in the cooperation between the two universities. Dean Zoltán Zsolt Nagy gave a short report on the third phase of the development of the educational building housing the Faculty of Health Sciences and on the progress of the project.
Source and photo: Directorate of International Relations
Translation: Diána Módos
