The visit’s primary aim was to represent the University at the China Ningbo – CEEC Economic and Cultural Exchange Week – which included seminars and symposia on healthcare and medical cooperation – at the city of Ningbo located in the East-Chinese Zheijang Province. The Semmelweis delegation comprised of Dr. Zoltán Zsolt Nagy, dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Dr. Marcel Pop, director of international relations.
The Chinese trip was an excellent opportunity for the delegation to visit the University’s partner institutions in the region and to explore opportunities to establish new collaborative relations. According to the programme, the delegation had meetings with the leaders of the Shanghai based Hu-Jinhua Health Education and Promotion Centre, the Jiao Tong School of Nursing located also in Shanghai, the Putuo District Central Hospital and finally the representatives of the Huangpu District Health Bureau. The coordination of the programme was supported by the Hungarian Consulate General in Shanghai; Dr. Ágota Révész, consul for education and cultural affairs assisted with the organisation and implementation.
The event organised in Ningbo aimed to provide the participants with the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the current issues of the city’s and the province’s healthcare reforms and to facilitate meetings with the local healthcare decision makers; i.e. the leaders of the healthcare commissions of Ningbo and Huangzhou, hospital directors and medical higher education representatives participating in the event. The Semmelweis delegation was welcomed by the leaders of the Medical School of Ningbo and one of its departments. The Chinese partner noted during the meeting that they prioritise the development of basic healthcare services including infrastructural innovations and the training of professional staff in the fields of nursing, healthcare management and further medical training.
Thanks to the assistance of the President of the Shanghai Huangpu District Health Bureau, the representatives of Semmelweis University conducted talks with the leaders of the Shanghai Health Education Institute about the possibilities and the prospective involvement of the University – especially the Faculty of Health Sciences – into the current Chinese healthcare reforms. The meeting was realised based on a previously held introductory discussions. The Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences also met with the leaders of the Jiao Tong School of Nursing at an informal and friendly work lunch where they discussed the possibilities of developing the partnership which has been functioning successfully between the two institutions since 2007. The presentation on the health visitor training programme and the functioning of the health visitor network greatly interested the Chinese partners who accepted Dr. Zoltán Zsolt Nagy’s invitation to Hungary.
The meeting with the representatives of the Health Commission of the Huang Pu District reinforced the conclusions of the previous talks according to which there is a strong need in the region for Semmelweis University’s training programmes, especially in the fields of nursing, dietetics and health management. Additionally, several cooperative opportunities have presented themselves in connection with the development of our Traditional Chinese Medicine Programme.
Directorate of International Relations