Minister of Health Discusses with Mayo Clinic US Delegation the Enhancement of Cooperation in Medical Education

Health Minister Dr. Ahmed Al-Awadi received a delegation from the US Mayo Clinic, one of the world’s leading academic health institutions, comprising Jose Padilla, Executive Director of the Americas – Mayo Clinic International, and Dr. Omar Ghannam, Medical Director of Mayo Clinic – Middle East. The meeting was attended by Assistant Minister of Health Sheikh Dr. Salman Khalifa Al-Sabah and Assistant Undersecretary for Foreign Health Services Dr. Hisham Kalander.

At the outset of the meeting, the Minister welcomed the delegation, emphasizing the Ministry of Health’s commitment to continuing to strengthen cooperation with leading international health institutions and leveraging these partnerships to support the Ministry’s priorities in developing national competencies, expanding opportunities for education and continuous professional development, enhancing the quality of health services, and benefiting from global expertise to improve healthcare quality across various specialties.

The two sides discussed areas of joint cooperation, foremost among which is enabling Ministry of Health medical staff to participate in the Mayo Clinic Practice Transformation Lecture Series. This initiative builds on the existing collaboration with Mayo Clinic, allowing staff to benefit from an international scientific program featuring a select group of experts and specialists, thereby enhancing knowledge and experience exchange with Ministry of Health physicians in Kuwait.

This initiative extends the Foreign Health Services Sector’s efforts to leverage its institutional relationships and international partnerships, transforming them into practical initiatives that contribute to national capacity building. This is achieved by providing high-quality educational and training opportunities, enhancing the exchange of expertise, and keeping abreast of the latest global medical practices, all of which positively impact the quality of healthcare and services provided to patients.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the Mayo Clinic delegation expressed its appreciation for the efforts undertaken by the Ministry of Health to develop Kuwait’s healthcare system, commending the progress witnessed in healthcare services. They underscored the importance of continuing scientific and professional cooperation between the two parties to support the continuous professional development of health staff and enhance the exchange of knowledge and expertise in line with international best practices.

In a related development, the Ministry of Health launched a training platform for health staff in collaboration with the US Mayo Clinic, featuring a series of lectures delivered by experts and specialists from the hospital. The lectures will cover the latest developments shaping the future of medicine, starting on August 18.

In a statement to KUNA, Assistant Minister of Health Sheikh Dr. Salman Khalifa Al-Sabah said that the cooperation between the Ministry and Mayo Clinic represents an important opportunity to collaborate in various fields to gain medical expertise and benefit from it. He added that what distinguishes Mayo Clinic is not only its clinical aspects but also its management and policy-making dimensions, making it one of the most important hospitals worldwide. He affirmed that Kuwait possesses the necessary infrastructure to achieve future goals for sustainable healthcare, which will reflect the volume of opportunities available, and expressed hope for Mayo Clinic’s contribution to this endeavor.

For his part, Assistant Undersecretary for Foreign Health Services Dr. Hisham Kalander told KUNA that the platform aims to transfer expertise between the Ministry and the hospital and share the latest health practices, which will positively impact the level of service and the quality of care provided to both citizens and residents.

On his part, Dr. Omar Ghannam, Medical Director of Mayo Clinic in the Middle East, told KUNA that they launched, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health in Kuwait, a series of lectures that allow doctors in Kuwait to benefit from the medical expertise and information provided by a select group of specialists at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Ghannam added that Mayo Clinic is not limited to clinical aspects but also extends to research, as it has 22 main research laboratories and invests approximately $1.3 billion annually in research, reflecting the significant interest in this field.