Beersheba’s Soroka University Medical Center announced a new partnership with Azerbaijani healthcare providers and hospitals in late June.
Beersheba Hospital and Clalit signed a strategic cooperation agreement with TABIB Health Services, the largest healthcare provider in Azerbaijan, the Mirgasimov Republican Medical Center, and the Garayev Children’s Medical Center in Baku.
Under the new partnerships, senior teams of doctors from Soroka have begun working in Azerbaijani hospitals, assisting with research and collaborating with Azerbaijani doctors.
The collaboration includes specialists from several departments, including pediatrics, neurosurgery and child development.
Soroka said cooperation has recently expanded to neonatal intensive care units, pediatric departments and the Sussman Institute for Child Development at the Saban Pediatric Medical Center, with discussions also underway to extend the partnership to nursing education.
Building bridges for the future of nations
As part of the growing relationship, Azerbaijani Health Minister Timur Musayev awarded the country's "Excellence in the Health System" award to Dr. Mickey Gidon, director of pediatric neurosurgery at Soroka, in recognition of his role in advancing the partnership.
According to Soroka, Musayev said during the ceremony that professional exchanges and medical training contribute to the development of healthcare systems in both countries.
“Our vision is to build a bridge to the future of nations,” Gidon said in a statement released by the hospital. “We continue our efforts to expand cooperation in the clinical and research fields, medical education and medical innovation. By strengthening these ties, we invest in better health services alongside mutual understanding, trust and friendship between nations.”
The agreements come as another example of cooperation between Israel and Azerbaijan beyond defense and energy, with the two countries also expanding ties in healthcare, research and medical education in recent years.