Doctor of pharmacy students bolster connections with Palestinian healthcare providers in visit to mental health hospital

Birzeit University doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) majors visited the Dr. Kamal Mental Hospital inBethlehem as part of a push by the program to provide students with access to hands-on clinical training and develop joint research projects with healthcare providers in Palestine.  

The students, accompanied by Dr. Abdallah Abu Khalil, a faculty member at the Department of Pharmacy, met with Dr. Shafie Saadeh, the hospital’s medical director, and Sawsan Shelbayeh, director of the pharmacy department, who gave a brief overview of the hospital and the services that it offers, noting that it is the only institution specialized in mental disorders in Palestine.

Saadeh and Shelbayeh introduced the students to the treatment plans adopted by the hospital and the available medications used therein, adding that such drugs are part of a set of resources used to ensure that patients can lead healthy lives.