The cooperation between Semmelweis University and the Municipality of Putuo District of Shanghai in the field of clinical education could be further strengthened after a memorandum of understanding was signed by Dr. Alán Alpár, Vice-Rector for International Studies, and Li Ou, Deputy Secretary of the Shanghai Putuo District Municipal Health Commission on August 26, 2024. The Faculty of Health Sciences (ETK) has been cooperating with the municipality since 2014 to welcome Chinese health professionals, mostly nurses, for shorter training courses. The last time a delegation from the district visited the university was in 2018; the current visit of the Chinese delegation, with the participation of mainly hospital directors and deputy directors, in addition to local government representatives, was aimed at extending the existing agreement. Several online discussions between the parties preceded the meeting.
Upon welcoming the delegation, Dr. Alán Alpár expressed his hope that the cooperation between the district and the university would continue to develop and could be further broadened. He stressed that Semmelweis University had a diverse portfolio, adding that the institution had made its training more practice-oriented as part of the curriculum reform, and could therefore contribute to the district’s healthcare development with various training courses. The university’s training portfolio and the developments of the past 6 years were presented by Dr. Marcel Pop, Director of International Relations, who also mentioned that currently, 141 Chinese students were studying at the university’s four faculties and the Doctoral College and that the university maintained cooperation agreements with 15 Chinese universities and educational institutions. He stressed that in addition to training nurses at ETK, the university would like to extend the cooperation to include clinical internships, summer and winter universities, and personalized training. He considers further possibilities for cooperation in the fields of rehabilitation and conductive education to be promising. Dr. Zoltán Balogh, Vice-Dean of ETK, and Dr. László Matos, Vice-Dean of PAK, presented the education provided at the faculties in detail. Dr. László Matos also highlighted the specifics of the Neurorehabilitation MSc program, which was launched this September.
Shanghai’s Putuo District covers an area of over 53 square kilometers and, as Deputy Mayor Wang Jue pointed out, is among the more populous municipal districts. With the population aging – as the average life expectancy has risen to 83 years – cardiovascular, tumorous, and other chronic diseases are on the rise. Around 1,400 nurses and doctors in 24 public hospitals and 50 outpatient clinics across the district provide emergency care to around 7-8 million outpatients annually. He also revealed that, although the coronavirus pandemic had hampered international relations, developments had continued, including the construction of a new rehabilitation hospital and a general hospital. He noted that since the cooperation had been successful so far, they were hoping to expand it to more areas, and the agreement on nursing and rehabilitation training provided a good basis for that. Li Ou stated that they saw the greatest prospects for further cooperation and study visits in the fields of nursing, rehabilitation, and dentistry. He took this opportunity to invite the leaders of Semmelweis University to Shanghai.
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The Chinese delegation paid a visit to the Outer Clinical Block as well, where they learned about the operation of the block and the university’s outstanding specific care centers with the guidance of Director-General Dr. Veronika Müller.
Directorate of International Relations
Translation: Judit Szabados-Dőtsch
Photos by Boglárka Zellei – Semmelweis University
