MBBS in New Valley University Faculty of Medicine

Faculty of Medicine of New Valley University is a relatively new school in Egypt which began its work in January 2020. In its turn, New Valley University itself appeared independent from Assiut University only eighteen months prior to the establishment of the faculty in question.

Instead of being designed specifically as a medical faculty, it started working at the former administrative building of New Valley Governorate located on Gamal Abdel Nasser Street in Kharga City.

Unlike the ancient medical faculties of Cairo University, such as Kasr Al-Ainy Faculty of Medicine, or Alexandria University Faculty of Medicine, this institution is quite young and represents a single-campus university.

Location of the faculty is also peculiar. The governorate occupies almost one third of territory of Egypt, however, its population is not numerous and distributed rather evenly in different places.

Communities inhabit desert oases like Kharga, Dakhla and Farafra, and are mainly connected via highways. Traditionally, in order to become a doctor, people had to leave the area and study in other universities.

Therefore, most doctors preferred to study in universities of Assiut, Cairo, or Alexandria and stayed there even after graduation. As a consequence, there always existed shortage of local medical professionals in the governorate.

Establishment of the faculty partially aims to solve this problem. Thus, it provides the university with an opportunity to train students and make them stay in the governorate and practice there after graduating.

For students willing to attend the Faculty of Medicine of New Valley University instead of older Egyptian medical schools, this means that they have to accept some advantages and disadvantages of the faculty.

First of all, small size of the university implies small size of classes and close relations between students and faculty members. Furthermore, there is no tough competition for laboratory work and clinical practice in New Valley University.

However, it cannot compete with century-old universities in terms of teaching hospital networks, numerous alumni community, and a great variety of subspecialty departments.

Thus, students choose smaller classes, developing campus atmosphere and smaller costs of education instead of reputation of the institution and depth of knowledge obtained during studies.

Consequently, graduates should pay more attention to promotion of their degree in the labor market in comparison with graduates of older universities.

Medical program of the faculty corresponds to the program of any other medical school in Egypt and includes five years of education followed by compulsory rotating internship and obtaining MBBCh degree.

During studies, students go through basic sciences, preclinical and clinical disciplines. The main language of instruction is Arabic; however, English is commonly used for medical terminology and a part of classes.

Moreover, the faculty is already able to attract some international and Arab students. Consequently, internationalization process leads to increased usage of English.

Clinical education takes place in New Valley University Hospital and affiliated governmental hospitals of Kharga. Students are provided with an opportunity to observe cases specific for the population of the desert oasis.

Dehydration diseases, chronic kidney disease, injuries from long distance traveling are among common cases. They represent a difference from cases encountered in large hospitals of Cairo.

Such environment can be helpful for those who are going to practice medicine in rural areas, and are interested in community medicine or health care delivery in low-resource settings.

As happens with many new institutions, expansion of the faculty and the university has taken place gradually since its launch in 2020. Thus, facilities, laboratory resources and academic staff have been developing since then.

Prospective students have to be ready to join a developing campus. Continuous expansion is the hallmark of this faculty and whole university.

In general, New Valley University separated from Assiut University in 2018 and has already eight faculties, such as medicine, pharmacy, nursing, engineering and agriculture. Thus, educational investment in the area has increased significantly.

The university itself is situated in Kharga City – relatively small capital of governorate with a population of around seventy thousand people. The city is situated several hours from Cairo by car and can also be reached by a plane.

Kharga City is famous for its date palm groves and natural springs, and not for urban or coastal sights. Atmosphere of life in Kharga City is quite different from atmosphere of larger Egyptian cities.

Living expenses in Kharga City are much lower than in Cairo or Alexandria. Accommodation and everyday costs are also relatively cheap.

Thus, for those who are looking for a cheaper way to receive medical education in Egypt with smaller classes and personalized studying, New Valley University can be an appropriate option.