Galilee Medical Faculty to get land for campus
07/27/2012 03:27
Gov't ministerial c'tee approves allocation of 14 hectares in Safed for permanent facility set to be completed in 6 years.
Projected image of future Galilee Medical Faculty Photo: Courtesy BIU
Ten hectares (about 25 acres) of state land on the southeastern edge of Safed
have been set aside for the permanent campus of the Galilee Faculty of
Medicine.
A government ministerial committee approved the request this
week by the faculty – which is owned and run by Bar-Ilan University.
BIU
director-general Haim Glick reported that an additional 4 hectares will be
allocated later for the campus, which is being constructed overlooking Lake
Kinneret and is due to be completed in six years. Until then, students at the
medical school – who completed their first two semesters this year – will
continue to study in an old Ziv Hospital building in Safed.
The Faculty
of Medicine has signed cooperation agreements with a number of hospitals in
northern Israel, including the Poriya Medical Center near Tiberias, to upgrade
equipment and facilities used by students in the clinical phase of their studies
in local hospitals.
Medical school Dean Prof. Ran Tur-Kaspa said
that its first year was successful for 250 medical students and 60 others in
advanced medical research.
The announcement of approval for providing the
land for the permanent campus was made at a ceremony marking the completion of
renovations on classrooms at Poriya.
“What is happening in the Galilee is
a miracle,” said Glick. “We were sent to carry out a holy mission of developing
the Galilee and advancing medicine. We feel a powerful experience through
brainstorming and cooperation, all aimed at advancing and improving the faculty
of the medical faculty and health in the entire area,” he added.
Poriya
director-general Dr. Ya’acov Farbstein thanked BIU for its major
investment in his hospital to improve conditions for medical students during
their years of clinical work.
“I have no doubt that the medical school
will boost the Galilee, which will also built a scientific center including
complex medical industries.
After the first year of studies, I believe we
are raising the next generation of physicians.
I hope at least some of
them will remain in the Galilee when they complete their studies.”