Professor Penelope Paliadelis, executive dean of the faculty of health, said the visit would focus on leadership, best practice and research.

“The delegates will work with our colleagues at Ballarat Health Services and Latrobe Regional Hospital to learn about specialist advance practices, our frameworks and evidence-based practices to take back to their facility,” she said. 

The representatives from the Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Humanitarian City hospital in Riyadh said the two week visit will be a life changing experience. 

“Even though we specialise in rehabilitation there is a gap in the competency of the staff,” delegate Manuel Bautista said. “We believe Federation University has an advanced knowledge about rehabilitation and by partnering with them we can bridge that gap.”

Federation University will return the visit next January to see how they have integrated the knowledge into their hospital system.

The Council for Australian-Arab Relations, part of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, is funding the project.