The agreement was signed following a visit by Dr. Seyed Abdolkhalegh Hashemi, Deputy of the International Patient Department (IPD) of Afghan-Uzbek Moalejavi Hospital, to the telemedicine and IPD facilities of Imam Hassan (AS) Hospital in Bojnurd, and during a meeting with the Director of International Affairs of the University.

According to the University’s public relations report, Dr. Esmaeil Garivani, Director of International Affairs at North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, stated: “The main focus of this MoU is the development of telemedicine services and health tourism. Based on this agreement, efforts will be made to enable Afghan patients, after online consultations and initial assessments, to be referred to the medical centers of North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences for surgical procedures and continuation of treatment when necessary.”

He added: “Establishing and developing the technical and operational infrastructure of telemedicine, providing specialized consultations, holding virtual clinics, and creating an appropriate mechanism for the introduction, admission, referral, and transfer of patients will be among the key areas of cooperation in the fields of treatment and health tourism.”

Garivani further noted: “Another important axis of this MoU is the organization of specialized and educational courses for physicians, residents, and other healthcare professionals from Afghanistan. In this regard, the possibility of holding in-person, virtual, and hybrid training programs, as well as the transfer of specialized knowledge and experiences, will be provided.”

The Director of International Affairs of the University continued: “Under this MoU, arrangements have also been made for the deployment of faculty members, specialist physicians, and university professors to the counterpart hospital in order to deliver educational programs and specialized services according to existing needs.”

Referring to educational cooperation capacities, he said: “During the meeting with the IPD Deputy of Afghan-Uzbek Moalejavi Hospital, the issue of collaboration in student admission as well as the continuation of studies for introduced physicians in specialty and subspecialty programs at North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences was also discussed. We hope these collaborations will lead to practical outcomes in the future.”

Dr. Garivani added: “Joint research collaborations, exchange of scientific information and specialized experiences, implementation of research projects, technology transfer, development of innovation, and the organization of scientific conferences and workshops are among the other capacities foreseen in this Memorandum of Understanding.”

It is worth noting that the MoU was signed by Dr. Esmaeil Garivani, Director of International Affairs of North Khorasan University of Medical Sciences, and Dr. Seyed Abdolkhalegh Hashemi, IPD Deputy of Afghan-Uzbek Moalejavi Hospital, and was exchanged between the two parties.