Egypt’s Minister of Health and Population, Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, held a meeting with Chairman of the Board of Directors of AstraZeneca, Michel Demarai, to discuss joint cooperation in the health sector.
This came on Tuesday on the sidelines of the minister’s participation in Abu Dhabi Healthcare Week, which is held in the United Arab Emirates.
Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Population, explained that the meeting addressed the existing partnerships and projects between the two sides regarding presidential initiatives and sustainability efforts. They also discussed the future of cooperation to continue joint work to develop the Egyptian healthcare system.
Abdel Ghaffar added that the meeting touched on discussing the “Partnership for Health System Sustainability and Resilience” (PHSSR) project in Egypt, and the shared vision on how to move forward with the recommendations.
The meeting also included continuing cooperation between the Ministry and AstraZeneca in capacity building programs aimed at enhancing the skills of healthcare professionals in Egypt, in addition to discussing strengthening cooperation in developing the evidence base for decision-making in the field of healthcare.
Abdel Ghaffar said that the minister discussed with AstraZeneca, ways of cooperation in health education and awareness campaigns, which include disseminating accurate and reliable information about disease prevention, healthy lifestyle choices and lifestyles, and adherence to treatment plans, because they have a significant impact on public health outcomes.
He pointed out that the minister discussed with AstraZeneca cooperation in therapeutic areas such as oncology, cardiovascular health, respiratory diseases, and diabetes management, to develop comprehensive strategies for disease prevention and control, with a focus on increasing awareness of risk factors and early detection methods and promoting preventive measures.
Abdel Ghaffar pointed out that the meeting’s topics included discussing the development and production of vaccines to support the Ministry of Health’s efforts to expand and strengthen vaccination programs in Egypt, in addition to providing technical blood and exchanging knowledge regarding vaccine distribution, storage, and management.