Egyptian Minister of Health and Population Dr Khaled Abdel Ghaffar said the tremendous development in all aspects of the service systems in Qatar, especially in healthcare, makes it one of the most advanced in the world. In exclusive statements to Qatar News Agency (QNA), on the sidelines of his participation in the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH 2022), Dr Ghaffar pointed out that Egyptian-Qatari relations in the health arena date back many years. There are many Egyptian doctors and faculty members who have been in Qatar for decades and are still working in prestigious institutions such as Hamad Medical Corporation and Qatar University.
It is a good opportunity to be in Qatar and participate in this important summit, which deals with urgent topics related to the future of health sciences, which witnessed great progress and unprecedented reliance on technology and innovations. It also discusses important issues such as climate change, mental health, and dealing with people with disabilities. The topics on the agenda are of global concern, he added.
In the two sessions he participated in, he focused on the Egyptian experience in dealing with climate issues, especially since Egypt will host the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 27) in Sharm El-Sheikh, and things related to the national strategy in food and nutrition that was launched recently, as well as some government measures to deal with issues of "One Health", concerned with human, animal and plant health, as well as Egyptian experiences in dealing with nutritional problems that affected the whole world, and the importance of mental health for health care providers, he explained.
The Egyptian minister of health said that he had meetings with the Qatar Fund for Development, Qatar Chamber, and the Qatari Businessmen Association, during which they reviewed investment opportunities in the Egyptian health sector, which has huge capabilities and distinguished health services, and the comprehensive health insurance system that Egypt seeks to implement, which are very encouraging matters for businessmen to invest in, he said. The past period witnessed a lot of Gulf investments in Egypt, expressing his hope that Qatari businessmen would benefit from this wonderful investment climate and the promising opportunities in it, he said.
In his statements to QNA, Dr Ghaffar said that during the meetings, Qatari investors praised the very promising investment opportunities in Egypt, and he is trying to increase investment opportunities in the health sector from Qatari businessmen. On the expansion of private universities that contribute to the graduation of large numbers of Egyptian doctors and the impact of this on the efficiency of medical cadres, the Egyptian minister of health and Population, who was minister of higher education and scientific research until recently, stressed that private universities and colleges for health sciences are a great addition to the health system in Egypt. They are monitored by the Supreme Council of Universities and the Ministry of Higher Education to ensure the efficiency of providing services to students. Before practicing the profession, graduates must pass the exams.
Regarding the mechanisms for monitoring the services provided to Egyptian citizens in the comprehensive health insurance system, Dr Ghaffar confirmed that the health insurance system has been in place in Egypt since the 1960s, and there is a great experience in this field, and accordingly, the comprehensive health insurance initiative was launched, which began in six governorates. The insurance system is an integrated system that relies on international expertise and has been tested in three governorates actively and in three other governorates experimentally. There is also an Authority for Accreditation and oversight, separate from service providers and works only on monitoring, accreditation, and follow-up of health service providers.
 
 
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