Palestinian medical delegation visits HSE centres in Cork

HSE South West was delighted to welcome a Palestinian medical delegation to Cork recently.

Three doctors from the An-Najah University Hospital, in Nablus, visited CUH and Westfield Integrated Care Centre in Ballincollig as part of a historic visit, organised by Cork City Council. Dr Iyad Maqboul, CEO of Najah University Hospital; Dr Mazen Abdeljaber Othman Abdalla, Chief of Surgery, and Dr Fawwaz Khalid S. Yassin, Head of Paediatrics, met with their counterparts in Cork to share medical knowledge and forge relationships between the two countries.

At CUH, the visitors met with the executive team and representatives from all Clinical Directorates to create academic links that will enable future shared learning forums and to communicate solidarity with the people of Palestine.

Aideen O’Riordan, Unscheduled Care Manager CUH said: “It was an absolute honour to spend time with the delegation, to understand the challenges facing the Palestinian healthcare system and to discuss the shared experiences and aspirations of delivering evidence-based quality care to our patients.

“They impressed us all with their ambition, their resilience, and their can-do attitude. We have made some lasting connections, and we welcome the future opportunities to work and study together in the future.”

Sarah McAleer, HSE General Manager Integrated Healthcare Area Cork South and West said: “It was a pleasure to welcome our medical colleagues from An-Najah University Hospital to Westfield Integrated Care Centre, to form partnerships in healthcare. They were very interested to learn about our Enhanced Community Care system here in HSE South West; it was fantastic to have some GP colleagues join us for the visit, to share knowledge and join discussion about primary care services in our region.

“We discussed not just the differences in practice and care between the countries, but also the shared experience of keeping the patient at the core of both the planning and delivery of our healthcare services. The compassion, humanitarianism and leadership demonstrated during the visit was impressive and I hope some of the shared knowledge and insights from HSE South West will be taken back to Palestine," she said.