Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid on Sunday met in Baghdad with Jordanian Minister of Health, Firas Hawari, and his accompanying delegation. During the meeting, Hawari conveyed His Majesty King Abdullah II’s greetings to the Iraqi president. President Rashid stressed depth of Jordanian-Iraqi relations and importance of strengthening ties in areas of common interest to serve common interests and the region’s people. He noted Iraq attaches “remarkable” importance to health file, adding that his country has set an “ambitious” program to upgrade its medical sector and improve health care by building and rehabilitating hospitals and providing medical supplies. Meanwhile, Hawari affirmed Jordan’s aspiration, under His Majesty King Abdullah II’s leadership, to strengthen cooperation with Iraq in various fields, including the health and medical areas. The minister also said Jordan is keen provide full facilitations aimed to provide the “best” health services for Jordanian and Iraqi peoples. In another meeting, Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammad al-Sudani , discussed with Hawari and the accompanying delegation, bilateral cooperation relations in the fields of joint medical cooperation and efforts to establish and settle pharmaceutical industries. The meeting also went over joint action mechanisms in the field of hospital management and drug control, exchange of joint expertise and coordination to face various challenges, according to a Ministry of Health statement. The two sides stressed the “deep-rooted, historic, brotherly” bilateral relations and importance of holding continuous mutual meetings. The Iraqi PM said health sector is a “key” government’s priority, pointing out that Iraq has “rich” expertise due to the past circumstances , especially during its war against terrorism. For his part, Hawari said his visit to Iraq aims to enhance prospects for joint health cooperation in the fields of treatment, training, education, and pharmaceutical industries. Hawari noted Jordan-Iraq cooperation would lead to achieving further success in improving the level of the two countries’ health services. He also referred to Jordan’s achievement made a few days ago following World Tourism Organization (WTO)’s announcement that the Kingdom is accredited as a destination for medical tourism in the Middle East, which confirms development of Jordanian health sector. This accreditation, he noted, is based on “scientific, realistic and objective” foundations that indicate strength and safety of Jordan’s health sector and its ability to provide support for all.
Source: Jordan News Agency