Over the years, The Hanoon Foundation (formerly FQMS) has selected, funded and supported a number of Palestinian doctors to undertake specialist postgraduate training in the UK. This has been delivered both independently and in partnership with organisations such as Juzoor, with funding from the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development.
Historically, the postgraduate medical training programme utilised the Medical Training Initiative (MTI) Scheme and the International Surgical Training Programme (ISTP). These national schemes, established by the UK Department of Health in 2009, enabled overseas doctors to undertake supervised clinical training within the NHS and gain experience that was not available in their home countries.
These programmes allowed Palestinian doctors to develop their clinical expertise before returning home to strengthen healthcare services, medical education and residency programmes in Palestine. This has been particularly important given the shortage of specialist training opportunities and the increasing demand for highly skilled healthcare professionals.
Although the MTI pathway is no longer available for Palestinian doctors, The Hanoon Foundation remains committed to supporting postgraduate medical education. We are currently developing new specialist training opportunities in collaboration with UK and Palestinian medical institutions, hospitals and professional organisations to provide alternative pathways for postgraduate education, clinical training and capacity building.
Where funding is available, participants may receive support towards travel, visas, accommodation, professional registration, examinations and other training-related costs.
Through these partnerships, The Hanoon Foundation continues to invest in the next generation of Palestinian healthcare professionals, helping to strengthen medical education and improve healthcare services across Palestine.
Postgraduate medical trainees
Through the postgraduate medical training programme FQMS has sponsored:
Independently: Rami (neuroscience), Fadi (neuroscience), Inji (renal medicine), Mahmud (adult cardiology) and Hisham (paediatric cardiology).
In partnership with Juzoor and the Arab Fund – Phases:
II: Maha (haemato-oncopathology), Najib (laparoscopic gynaecological surgery), Islam (interventional radiology) and Mohammad (respiratory medicine).
III: Khubaib (endocrine/diabetes), Naim (haematopathology), Assef (endocrine surgery), Nidal (urology), Feras (orthopaedic surgery) and Islam (interventional radiology).
IV: to be confirmed.
Additional assistance
We provide assistance in English language learning for trainees from Gaza for fully qualified trainees, who do not have:
IELTS (International English Language Testing System) overall score of 7.5 with 7 as a minimum in each category.
Medicine OET (Occupational English Test) with a minimum of a grade B in each part of the same test.
More information on postgraduate medical training
Previously, Palestinian doctors could also access postgraduate training by applying directly through national UK training schemes such as the Medical Training Initiative (MTI) and the International Surgical Training Programme (ISTP). As these pathways are no longer available to Palestinian doctors, The Hanoon Foundation is working with its partners to develop alternative postgraduate training opportunities.
“FQMS has helped me take my profession, as an internal medicine physician, to the next level. The two-year postgraduate Nephrology training sponsored by FQMS at Kent and Canterbury Hospital was a very intense, organised educational programme. It allowed me to gain a wide range of experience in a short period of time. I was able to develop confidence and experience that would otherwise have taken years to attain. It also allowed me to master performing dialysis line insertion and kidney biopsies. Unfortunately, sub-speciality training is unavailable in Palestine, but thanks to FQMS, physicians have the opportunity to do their training in the UK, which in turn will improve the overall quality of healthcare in Palestine.”
Bashar
“Through FQMS and Juzoor, I had the opportunity to do a 2-year fellowship in laparoscopic general surgery at Southampton University Hospital. This fellowship provided me with excellent exposure to complex minimally invasive gastrointestinal (GI) surgery, particularly laparoscopic colorectal surgery and endoscopy. Moreover, I have developed my knowledge of the holistic management of various complex pathologies. I believe both my patients and colleagues in Palestine will benefit from my experience in the UK, as I will implement new minimally invasive techniques in the management of GI pathologies including cancer. I will encourage my colleagues to adopt the culture and standards of UK medical practice, including Multi-Disciplinary Team discussions and decision-making.”
Eyad
“I applied for a scholarship from the programme run by Juzoor and FQMS. They arranged a fellowship at King’s College Hospital, London where I focused on knee and shoulder surgery between March 2014 and March 2016. I was also involved in complicated trauma cases. During that period I passed part one FRCSOrth. In March 2016, I finished my training and went back home. I started working in Ramallah again, where there have been many shoulder and knee cases for me to treat as we don’t have any shoulder or knee surgeons in the West Bank or Gaza. My training has been beneficial, as I have been involved in complicated trauma cases. We have managed to reduce the transfers to hospitals outside of the West Bank and we can now treat most of our cases.”
Alaa
“This training experience has had a great effect on my knowledge and practice, it has given me the chance to see advanced procedures and update my skills in my field. It has shown me the great effect teamwork can have on the treatment process. I am now hoping to transfer this to Palestine, so that we can improve the knowledge available to care and treat the sick children to the best of our ability.”
Naji
“After I finished my obstetrics and gynaecology training in Palestine. I wanted to have more training in gynaecological oncology surgery. Unfortunately, in West Bank, though the training programme started about a decade ago, we still have a long way to go and don’t have a referral hospital where trainees can be introduced to all kind of cases. The opportunity in the UK came up. I believe if FQMS can continue this scheme for a several years and we will end up with a full team of doctors in every speciality. These specialists will be able to teach what they have learned to the next generation of Palestinian doctors when they go back home.”
Ahmed Massoud
Ahmed Massoud, MBBS FRCPCH FRCP MD, is a London-based Consultant Paediatrician & Paediatric Endocrinologist. He was born and brought up in Nablus, West Bank, Palestinian. After finishing primary school in Nablus he attended boarding school in England and then read medicine at University College London.
He undertook his postgraduate general paediatric and sub-speciality training in various London teaching hospitals, including a two year period of full time clinical research, culminating in a doctorate from the University of London.
Following a brief fellowship in Melbourne, Australia, as a Winston Churchill Travelling Fellow, Ahmed took up his NHS consultant post in 1999 at Northwick Park Hospital along with an Honorary Senior Lecturer position with Imperial College School of Medicine.
