Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of Health and Population, met with Dr. Tedros Adhanom, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), in the presence of Dr. Ahmed Ihab Gamal El-Din, Egypt's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva. The meeting took place at the WHO headquarters in the Swiss city of Geneva, on the sidelines of the 76th World Health Assembly.
Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar began the meeting by conveying a message of thanks from His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to the Director-General of the organization, for his noble positions and unlimited support for African countries in general, and Egypt in particular, in light of the strong friendship between the Director-General of the organization and the President. The Minister also extended an official invitation to the Director-General of the WHO to attend the World Conference on Population, Health, and Development, which will be held in Egypt from September 5 to 8, 2023. The Director-General welcomed the invitation, which comes in the context of global interest in population growth issues and their impact on the health and well-being of people.
Dr. Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the official spokesman for the Ministry of Health and Population, explained that the Minister discussed with the Director-General of the organization many files of joint cooperation between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the World Health Organization, foremost among which is updating the Egyptian file submitted to obtainWHO certification for the elimination of the "C" virus and the role that Egypt plays in maintaining this historic achievement that made it the first country in the world to obtain this certification.
Abdel Ghaffar added that the Minister discussed with the Director-General of the organization Egypt's commitment to work closely with WHO experts after Egypt was selected as one of the six regional hubs in Africa qualified to produce the "messenger RNA" vaccines, and the continuous development of production lines that the Director-General of the organization inspected in an Egyptian factory during his visit to Egypt in October 2022.
Abdel Ghaffar also pointed out that the Minister informed the Director-General of the organization about the digital transformation efforts of the Ministry of Health and Population, and its impact on the volume of data circulating, which contributes to making sound strategic decisions. The Minister also discussed with Dr. Tedros Adhanom Egypt's plan to develop healthcare units completely by the end of 2024 to become better equipped to receive patients by preparing specialized clinics and updating the list of medicines.
Abdel Ghaffar also noted that the Minister discussed with the Director-General of the organization Egypt's efforts to deal with the health situation on the Sudanese borders in light of the displacement of tens of thousands, the continuation of the conflict in several areas, and the direct impact of this on the deterioration of primary healthcare services. He stressed that all forms of Egyptian support for the Sudanese brothers will continue, and the necessary health services will be provided todisplaced people in a way that enhances health security on the borders. He emphasized that the joint cooperation between the WHO and Egypt in those difficult circumstances represents an important axis for protecting the world from serious health crises.
Abdel Ghaffar also mentioned that the Minister discussed with the Director-General of the organization the Egyptian proposal presented by His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi during his meeting with Dr. Tedros Adhanom in October last year, which is to host one of the organization's centers of excellence to be a technological arm for the organization in supporting health stability and security.
The Minister concluded the meeting by proposing cooperation with the World Health Organization through the global initiative for childhood cancer launched by the organization, which Egypt looks forward to benefiting from in treating various types of cancer that affect children, using the best and latest treatment methods.
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