On the 25th October 2021 in London, the University of Westminster has entered into a partnership with the Hong Anh Medical Campus (HAMC) of Vietnam to provide scholarships for medical and health professionals in Vietnam to study in London.
The students will study on the Masters of Integrative Health and Wellbeing (Professional Practice) at Westminster and will learn to evaluate global health and social care systems and to use research and evidence to identify best practice and routes to improvement
The program will improve patient care in the face of a global health and social care crisis and, in addition to academic learning, students will gain real world insights into UK health and social care delivery through work placements in a range of settings
The collaboration was launched on the 25th October 2021 with Real Capital London, the investor of Hong Anh Medical Campus Project, a state-of-the-art healthcare eco-system which is being developed in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
The launch event, which was attended by the British Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, Healthcare UK/DIT, UK-ASEAN Business Council, the Vietnamese medical universities, healthcare providers and medical students, introduced the ‘learn, earn and return’ training program for students.
HAMC is deploying the training program in both Vietnam and UK. Trainees will be recruited, trained partly in Vietnam then further trained at Westminster (learn) and experience working in the UK healthcare facilities where they will be paid (earn), then return to work on the Hong Anh Medical Campus (return).
HAMC’s development comprises a medical training and research centre, a rehabilitation centre with step-down facilities, senior living/nursing homes, a world class hospital and a network of GP clinics and pharmacies. All these facilities are being developed under the British standards.
The medical training and research centre will provide training for all levels of medical professionals including the recruitment of students with the highest potential throughout Vietnam.
Talking about the partnership, Professor Brendon Noble, Head of the School of Life Sciences at the University of Westminster, said: “Across the globe, so few health and social care workers, including doctors, dentists, nurses and allied health professionals are given an opportunity to learn the skills to research and evaluate the systems they work in. We are delighted to be partnering with HAMC to train students to do exactly this, to be able to improve systems and to become healthcare leaders of the future.”
Dr Heidi Sowter, Course Leader for Integrative Health and Wellbeing at Westminster, added: “This is an excellent opportunity for international students to learn about the UK system and to start to think about policy and practice both here and in their home country. This international collaboration allows us all to share insights and best practice and to contribute to improved health and wellbeing in communities across the globe.”
Mrs Juliette Waterhouse, Managing Director of Real Capital London, said: “We are pleased to establish an official partnership with the University of Westminster to train future staff under our ‘learn, earn and return’ programme for the operation of the Hong Anh Medical Campus project, a flagship investment of Real Capital London. We appreciate the effort that Westminster has put in to design this excellent MSc programme for our Vietnamese healthcare trainees. We believe this partnership will create a strong platform for the trainees to obtain the necessary knowledge and qualifications for their professional and personal development”.
Ian Gibbons MBE, Chief Executive, UK – ASEAN Business Council attended the launch and stated: I am delighted to be here having been with Juliette and the HAMC project back in 2017 and at the launch in Ho Chi Minh City in 2020. Conversations then were about the importance of partnership and collaboration across the piece and the need to build this in a sensible and pragmatic manner. This project is testimony to the planning, development, delivery of what will be / is a world class collaborative project.
Jordan Scammell, Head of Development and Fundraising, said: “We are delighted to launch this important international scholarship programme in partnership with Hong Anh Medical Campus. This significant investment, in the future graduate talent entering the healthcare sector in Vietnam, will help create real change on the ground. We are grateful to Juliette and the team for choosing to partner with the University of Westminster in this way.”