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Thumbay Group and UMFST launch European medical residency pathway
The programme gives eligible medical graduates access to residency training across 49 specialties in Romania
- PUBLISHED: Fri 21 Aug 2026, 2:44 PM
Thumbay Group and George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, and Technology of Targu Mures (UMFST) have jointly launched the Thumbay–UMFST International Residency Pathway Program, giving eligible medical graduates access to residency training across 49 medical specialties recognised under the Romanian and European healthcare systems.
The scale of the programme sets it apart. Residency options span the full breadth of modern medicine: 28 clinical medical specialties including cardiology, neurology, psychiatry, emergency medicine and paediatrics; 13 surgical specialties ranging from general surgery and orthopaedics to neurosurgery and cardiovascular surgery; and eight paraclinical specialties such as radiology and medical imaging, laboratory medicine and public health. Training durations run from four to six years depending on the specialty, in line with European postgraduate standards, and are conducted under the official Romanian medical specialty nomenclature set by the Ministry of Health.
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Residency education at UMFST is delivered under the framework of the Romanian Ministry of Health and the Romanian higher education system, through accredited university-affiliated teaching hospitals and under the supervision of experienced faculty and clinical mentors. Residents train to European clinical standards in modern hospital environments, building competencies in evidence-based medicine that travel with them wherever their careers lead.
For candidates, the process is designed to be transparent and personal. Applicants indicate two to three preferred specialties, ranked in order of preference, and UMFST makes reasonable efforts to reflect that ranking when offering an available place, subject to training capacity, specialty availability and the requirements of the competent Romanian authorities.
Thumbay Group serves as the regional gateway for aspiring physicians, providing comprehensive support at every stage: pre-residency orientation, admissions facilitation, visa and documentation assistance, Romanian language preparation where required, career counselling and continuous student support throughout the residency journey, in line with the framework set by UMFST and the competent Romanian authorities. For medical graduates in the UAE and the wider region, the programme removes much of the complexity that has traditionally stood between them and European postgraduate training.
"Every year, thousands of talented medical graduates in our region search for a clear path into specialty training. This programme gives them one, and it gives them choice. Forty-nine specialties, European clinical standards, accredited teaching hospitals, and Thumbay Group beside them at every step, delivered in close partnership with UMFST. That is what a real pathway looks like," said Dr Thumbay Moideen, founder president, Thumbay Group.
“For decades, UMFST has trained physicians across the full range of medical, surgical and paraclinical specialties within our accredited teaching hospitals and under the supervision of experienced faculty. We bring this expertise to our partnership with Thumbay Group: a well-established residency pathway, now open to candidates from the Gulf region. We see this collaboration as an important step towards building a long-term bridge in postgraduate medical education, offering young physicians access to high-quality clinical training while strengthening the exchange of knowledge, expertise and best practices between our institutions and regions,” said Prof Dr Leonard Azamfirei, Rector, UMFST.
To know more, email: pathway@gmu.ac.ae