The Hashemite University and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to provide academic medical training to a group of UNRWA doctors in primary health care and family medicine to improve the quality of health-care services provided to Palestine Refugees.

The MOU was signed by Olaf Becker, Acting Director of UNRWA Affairs in Jordan, and Professor Khaled Abu al-Tin, the Vice President of Hashemite University. 

“The Agency works tirelessly to provide assistance to Palestine Refugees with vital healthcare and education,” Becker said. “Our partnership with Hashemite University helps us provide invaluable training to UNRWA doctors. This strengthens their contribution to the Palestine Refugee community.”

Five UNRWA doctors will get the opportunity to attend a 12-month medical training course for a Diploma in Primary Health Care as part of the Family Medicine Diploma Program. The additional training will raise the standard of primary health care provided to Palestine refugees and will contribute to increase the medical capacity in the UNRWA Department of Health.

Vice President Prof. Abu al-Tin praised the efforts of UNRWA in Jordan and the Kingdom's efforts in supporting the Agency under the leadership of King Abdullah II Ibn Al Hussein. He expressed his commitment to continue building the partnership with UNRWA to expand medical capacities that help achieve the same goal.

The MOU was signed in the presence of a number of UNRWA health officials, including Dr. Akihiro Seita, Director of Health, Dr. Mustafa Ammoura, Chief Field Officer of Health Program, and Dr. Ishtawi Abu-Zayed, Health Coordinator/Advisor.

The Family Medicine Diplomat Project is supported by the Erasmus Programme, a European initiative to support higher education. Six universities are participating in this project, including the Hashemite University, Jordan University, the Jordan University of Science and Technology, Queen Mary University of London, Radboud University in the Netherlands and the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium.

The Diploma in Family Health Care covers basic principles of family medicine and the role of family medicine in comprehensive care, gender-related care, the elderly and palliative care, prevention, the chronic diseases care, psychological and social care, and child health.