Egypt to Transfer Its Health Expertise to Africa

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at Africa Health ExCon (Egyptian Presidency)
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at Africa Health ExCon (Egyptian Presidency)
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Egypt to Transfer Its Health Expertise to Africa

President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at Africa Health ExCon (Egyptian Presidency)
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi at Africa Health ExCon (Egyptian Presidency)

Egypt affirmed its keenness to transfer its health expertise to African countries. President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said Egypt would be declared within the coming few days or weeks free from Hepatitis C following the standards of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Speaking at the second edition of Africa Health ExCon in Cairo under the theme "Your Gate to Innovation and Trade," Sisi highlighted the importance of Egyptian initiatives in preserving the health of citizens.

He indicated that Egypt has tried to address the large population growth of 105 million people and the lack of hospitals by launching health initiatives.

Africa Health ExCon, the largest annual Medical Exhibition and conference in Africa, was established as the continental hub of health innovation and trade in Africa and the Middle East.

It is Africa and Egypt's gateway towards innovation and trade, as an annual meeting between global and African medical companies.

Sisi stressed that health initiatives try to solve complex challenges to improve people's lives from a health perspective.

The President noted that the "Ending waiting lists" initiative was presented four years ago, with about 12,000 cases, but the number now increased to 1.9 million patients, appreciating the civil society organizations and bodies for their donations.

Addressing the conference, Head of the Egyptian Authority for Unified Procurement, Medical Supply and Technology Management (AUPP) Bahaaeddine Zeidan said the second Africa Health ExCon conference is a gathering for all medical experts to exchange expertise, clinching deals, and getting briefed on the latest developments.

During the opening session, the conference included a documentary depicting the challenges facing the African continent in the healthcare sector due to imbalances in supply chains and high costs.

Director of Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Jean Kaseya voiced confidence in his authority's potential in the medical field and Egypt's prominent role in bolstering ties with Africa.

Addressing the conference, Kaseya said the coronavirus pandemic claimed lives, and African nations effectively confronted the virus.

He noted that African conferences are essential to developing the medical and technological sector, especially in vaccine production.

Health Minister Khaled Abdul-Ghafar asserted that Egyptian authorities established advanced hospitals and health centers in all governorates to achieve social justice.

Abdul-Ghafar noted that 965 health projects cost about EGP91 billion, explaining that the new medical facilities cost the state about EGP37 billion to establish 53 new hospitals in various governorates.

The minister explained that they were short- and long-term paths followed within Egypt's health sector development, including the 14 presidential initiatives valued at EGP32 billion, which served 92 million citizens.



Qatar and Jordan Pledge Support to Syria

23 December 2024, Syria, Damascus: Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi (L) meets with Syria's new de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa. (Petra/dpa)
23 December 2024, Syria, Damascus: Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi (L) meets with Syria's new de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa. (Petra/dpa)
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Qatar and Jordan Pledge Support to Syria

23 December 2024, Syria, Damascus: Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi (L) meets with Syria's new de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa. (Petra/dpa)
23 December 2024, Syria, Damascus: Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi (L) meets with Syria's new de facto ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa. (Petra/dpa)

Qatar is ready to invest in Syria's energy sector and ports, the de facto Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said after meeting a senior Qatari official in Damascus on Monday, as his new administration widened contacts with Arab states.

Sharaa also received Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman al-Safadi, the first Arab foreign minister to visit Damascus since the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) toppled Bashar al-Assad two weeks ago. Safadi said Jordan was ready to help Syria rebuild.

The meetings further widened the diplomatic contacts of the new administration established after Sharaa's HTS, a former Al-Qaeda affiliate, led a decisive offensive that overthrew Assad after more than 13 years of war.

The end of Assad's rule has upended the geopolitics of the Middle East, dealing a major blow to his ally Iran and paving the way for other states to build new ties to a country at the crossroads of the region.

Türkiye, which long backed the Syrian opposition, was the first state to send its foreign minister to Damascus.

Qatar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Mohammed Al-Khulaifi flew into Damascus on Monday aboard the first Qatar Airways flight to land there since Assad was toppled.

Sharaa, speaking to reporters as he stood next to Khulaifi, said that they had discussed the challenges of the coming period, and that he had invited Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to visit Syria.

"The Qatari side expressed its readiness for wide investments in Syria in many sectors, chief amongst them the energy sector in which they have great experience ... as well as the ports and airports," Sharaa said.

Khulaifi said Qatar, the world's third largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), would continue to "stand alongside our brothers in Syria at this time more than any other time".

"Syria and its people need support during this crucial phase which requires the concerted efforts of everyone, especially concerning the lifting of sanctions and the upcoming developmental projects," he said.

JORDAN WILL PROVIDE AID

Syria's stability is a key security concern for Jordan, which borders the country to the south.

Safadi said he agreed with Sharaa on cooperating to counter the smuggling of drugs and weapons from Syria to Jordan - a problem for years under Assad.

Safadi also noted that ISIS, with which Sharaa's group clashed earlier in the Syrian war, remained a threat.

"Our brothers in Syria also realize that this is a threat. God willing, we will all cooperate, not just Jordan and Syria, but all Arab countries and the international community, in fighting this scourge that poses a threat to everyone," he said.

"I focused on reconstruction efforts and Jordan will provide aid," Safadi said, adding that the new Syrian administration must have the opportunity to develop its plans.

There was no immediate statement from the Syrian side on the meeting.

Sharaa, who met senior US diplomats last week, severed ties with Al-Qaeda in 2016. He has said his primary focus is on reconstruction and achieving economic development and that he is not interested in engaging in any new conflicts.