Intention is to develop Center for Metabolic Surgery at Asian institution
Photo: Camila Cunha
On Tuesday, Dec 3, PUCRS welcomed a delegation of Xiangya Hospital, from China. The purpose of the visit was to sign a cooperation agreement between the University and the hospital, which is affiliated to Central South University, with an eye to the development of a Center for Metabolic Surgery Center in the Asian country. Hence, School of Medicine Professor Dr Claudio Mottin, was invited to go to the Chinese institution. Mottin also serves as Technical Director and the Surgery Coordinator of the Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome Center (COM), at PUCRS’ São Lucas Hospital (HSL).
Visitors were welcomed at the Noble Hall of the President’s Office by the President Br. Evilázio Teixeira. The President added that the cooperation activities between PUCRS and China began in 2005, when 43 students from the country for a Portuguese and Communications program at the University, where they stayed for two years. The way he sees it, the agreement between the institutions involves, besides bariatric surgery, innovation (especially in the healthcare) and research.
Xiangya Hospital has over 100 years of history and over 3,000 inpatient beds. It is a reference in China when it comes to medical education. According to its director, Liu Weidong, Central South University will benefit greatly from this partnership. He also stressed the importance of providing training to surgeons in this area in the country and the academic mobility of students that the agreement will advance.
Photo: Camila Cunha
Professor Mottin said he was grateful for the invitation and stressed that, in a short time, the Chinese delegation’s visit opened important doors for research, as it enabled the parties to exchange knowledge. The Senior Vice President and Director of the Brain Institute of RS (BraIns), Dr Jaderson Costa da Costa, claims that this partnership strengthens, mainly, two pillars: the academic and business development, considering China’s solid investments in technology and healthcare. “I believe BioHub and Tecnopuc are right for it, and so is BraIns”, he said.
According to the CEO of HSL, Leandro Batista Firme, this is a great opportunity for exchanges and innovation. “The partnership between Brazil and China, materialized through two major institutions, will strengthen technical and human potential, as it will reinforce the image of Hospital São Lucas, in the national and international scenario of healthcare. Bringing both expertises together will equip us to share good practices between technical teams and hospitals”, he said.
Before the agreement was signed, Br. Evilázio thanked visitors and stressed the importance of this collaboration. “For us, the effective development of joint projects is much more important than an agreement”, he said. This is the second agreement signed between PUCRS and educational institutions in China, the first being with Universidade de Macau.
In addition to Weidong, members of Victor Medical Instruments Aileen Li, Karen Kang, Shihua Jiang and Paul Cantanhede made their presences felt. PUCRS was represented by Leandro Batista Firme; Biohub project coordinator Carlos Klein; and the Executive Coordinator of PUCRS’ International Cooperation Office, Mrs Carla Cassol.
Check out some photos:
