June 26^th. The International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA)- An-Najah National University Branch- prepares to receive more than 35 medical students from all over the world as part of three student exchange programs that the IFMSA will launch next month.

The IFMSA’s events programs will include activities such as the NORPAL SAWA 2011 Project which is considered a new experience for the Federation in the field of student exchange. Ten medical students from Norway will be hosted in Nablus for a period of one month during which they will be accompanied by ten medical students from An-Najah. During this period, students will be receive training at the different hospitals in Nablus and will hold a number of programs and summer camps for children in the refugee camps. They will also conduct visits to a number of Palestinian cities to bring them closer to the Palestinian daily life.

As part of the preparations for the Project, members of the IFMSA at An-Najah University received the Project’s coordinators from Norway last April. The two coordinators stayed in Nablus for a whole week during which they signed the Project’s agreement with student Omar Abu Zaideh, the Project’s Coordinator at An-Najah and the former Chair of the Federation at the University. The two coordinator also met with Dr. Waleed Basha, IFMSA’s Coordinator and Head of the Microbiology and Immunology Department at An-Najah.

Moreover, the students met with Prof. Rami Hamdallah, President of An-Najah University, who expressed his admiration by the students of medicine and the high level of activities that they carry out. Furthermore, the students also met with Professor Anwar Dudin, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University.

Another project which is part of the Federation’s activities is the IMSTAR 2011 Project Internship for Medical Students in Action for Refugees which is considered one of the most important projects of the Human Rights and Refugees Committee which the IFMSA started three years ago in cooperation with its branch in Netherlands.

An-Najah receives more than 15 students every year who are offered training at Rafidia Hospital and the National Hospital in Nablus to benefit from the expert doctors there.

Additionally, the Project includes the establishment of a summer camp for children in Balata Refugee Camp in cooperation with the Happy Childhood Center and Project Hope in the city. More than 120 children are participating in the camp where they take part in a variety of activities such as art, drawing, painting morals, drama and sports.

The members of the Federation also visit the different Palestinian cities to get a close look at the suffering and difficult conditions that the Palestinians experience there because of the Separation Wall and the settlers.

The IFMSA also executes another program titled “Professional Exchange” which is carried out by the Student Exchange Committee at the Federation which signs ten student exchange agreements every year with the different federations around the world.

This year, the Federation will receive ten students from Germany, Spain, Catalonia, France and Norway while at the same time ten students from An-Najah will be sent to these countries to achieve exchange of knowledge and expertise. Students from the abovementioned countries and those from An-Najah will be trained on each side’s hospitals for one month; accommodation and hospital training expenses will be covered by each side’s government.

The IFMSA hopes that it will be able to sign 15 contracts this year through its participation in the Global Gathering of Medical Students on August in Denmark. The Federation is currently working on preparing a student delegation to participate in the Global Gathering and represent An-Najah in this important international event.

Members of the IFMSA thanked the University’s administration, represented by Prof. Hamdallah, for its non-stopping support. They also valued the efforts of Professor Dudin and Dr. Basha in supporting the Federation to become among the leading federations worldwide.