Health Minister, Korean Amb. Discuss Ways to Boost Cooperation

Korean Ambassador Hong Jin-wook met with Dr. Hala Zayed, Minister of Health and Population, to discuss means to boost cooperation in the fields of health and medicine.

At the outset of the meeting, Hong expressed Korea’s interest to expand bilateral cooperation with Egypt in the health and medical sector, in line with Egypt’s vision to become a regional hub for the manufacture and distribution of medicine.

Korean Ambassador stressed that the health sector is one of the important facets for the two countries’ cooperation, which can be further strengthened especially with the designation of Egypt as a priority country for Official Development Assistance ODA for the coming 5 years.

Hong pointed to the upcoming briefing session/seminar organized to introduce the potentials of the Egyptian medical and pharmaceutical market to Korean Companies on September 27. He added that the event aims to foster bilateral medical cooperation and promote a better understanding of Korean companies to the Egyptian regulations and health-related policies.

He extended the honor of presenting in the event to H.E. the Minister and the Egyptian health related entities, namely the Egyptian Drug Authority and the Unified Procurement Authority, noting that many Korean companies will be participating in the event.

For her part, Zayed appreciated the efforts exerted by the Ambassador to strengthen bilateral medical cooperation, expressing thanks to the support of the Korean government to Egypt in its efforts to confront the covid-19 pandemic.

She pointed out that healthcare is becoming of top priority to any country, a field in which the two countries' cooperation can be further expanded given Korea’s vast experience and advances in health and medical care.

The Minister emphasized that Egypt can be the hub through which Korean medical companies can access the African market. She expressed interest to expand cooperation with Korea in the field of plasma collection center and vaccine production, welcoming the Korean invitation for her to participate in the upcoming briefing session on September 27 to have more open discussions with Korean companies interested in the Egyptian medical and pharmaceutical market.