The Higher Education Council has approved the establishment of a medical faculty at Yarmouk University in Irbid, its president, Abdullah Musa, said on Wednesday. The establishment of the faculty is aimed at providing more Jordanian students with the opportunity to study medicine in the country, rather than going abroad, Musa added. The faculty, slated to open in the next academic year, will receive 120 students in its first year, according to the university president, who added that the medical college will be housed in the science faculty, until the building is ready. Musa made the remarks at a press conference after signing a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Health on Wednesday. The agreement stipulates that medical students at Yarmouk University will receive training in one of the public hospitals in the northern region (Irbid, Mafraq, Jerash and Ajloun). Under the agreement, the university will allocate 10 seats in the medical faculty for children of ministry employees. Health Minister Abdul Latif Wreikat said the establishment of this medical faculty was “positive”, adding that “we prefer to employ graduates of Jordanian universities”. Wreikat explained that medical graduates in the Kingdom’s universities receive more training hours than those who graduate from some east European countries. He also noted that there will be expansion work at Al Eman Hospital in Ajloun and a new hospital will open in Irbid, so more medics will be needed to work there. Currently, four public universities in the country teach medical courses: the University of Jordan, the Jordan University of Science and Technology, Mutah University and the Hashemite University. jordantimes.