Dr. David Halpin, Chairman of Dove and The Dolphin Institution held a lecture entitled “The Education of Doctors in Palestine” hosted by Faculty of Medicine at IUG. Dr, Mufeed Al-Mukhalaty, Dean of Medicine Faculty, received Dr. Halpin and welcomed the visitors in and outside the university. Dr. Tony Davies and Dr. Sonia Robins, who came from Britain to teach IUG students a course in Medicine, attended the lecture. Also, Mrs. Halpin attended the lecture.
Dr. Halpin expressed his high concern regarding such a subject when saying “This subject is very close to my heart. This is not an academic dissertation but a talk based on my own observations, feelings and ethos.”
On his talk, he refers to the differentiation between Palestine and the UK in regard to there being an increasingly intolerable amount of disease.
He said “The UK is fat but Palestine thin. 1 in 10 children in the UK is morbidly obese and the intake of advertised high energy snacks is one factor. Diabetes is epidemic in both societies – but especially here.
He continues to say “Iron deficiency Anemia, which affects 30% of children and mothers – I do not know what the thresholds for diagnosis are -, should be a rarity in 2007. It is a condition of the greatest importance – especially because it is said to inhibit cerebral development. What is being done to deal with this at present? ”
Dr. Halpin gave some important clues to the Palestinian doctors and students of Medicine to live with various degrees of chaos confirming that standards of education and care are less than they would wish. He noted that every doctor should be trained to the best possible level of knowledge and competence.
