The seniors of Psychology Department visited Dr. Mohammed Said Kamal Hospital for Psychiatric and Neurological Diseases in Bethlehem. The event was carried out by Dr. Rehab Al-Sa’di who teaches the course of "Motives and Emotions" in coordination with the Center for Community Service and Continuing Education at Al-Istiqlal University.
According to Dr. Rehab Al-Saadi said that the aim of the visit is informing the students about the services provided by the hospital to the patients, in addition to identifying some of the psychological disorders they face, how to deal with them, and the need to provide psychological and social support for them and their families.
For his part, Ibrahim Ekhmeis, the Director of Dr. Mohamed Said Kamal Hospital for Mental and Neurological Diseases, expressed his happiness and pride in the visit of Al-Istiqlal University students and maintaining its social role in communication.
He explained the cases that reach the hospital as the sole one in Palestine, as well as receiving patients in coordination with 13 centers of different governorates. It also receives a number of cases of mental disorders from the Palestinian judiciary and the Palestinian security services. It is known that the hospital only deals with adults above (18 years) in order to embody the right of this group to live in the community.
In turn, Sha’aban Ayyat, the Director of the Center for Community Service and Continuing Education at the University, said that this visit comes in the context of the Center's following-up to connect students with the various institutions of the community, and provide them with knowledge through experiences and quit the traditional style of teaching.
It is noteworthy that the hospital was established in the city of Bethlehem in 1890. Then, the British government turned it to a hospital for men in 1922. It is now a government hospital which receives support from the Palestinian Ministry of Health. It has 180 beds, and deals with (3000) cases inside and outside the hospital.