Health Minister receives Israeli delegation

Manama, Mar. 9 (BNA): Health Minister, Faeqa bint Said Al-Saleh, today received her Israeli counterpart, Nitzan Horowitz, and his accompanying delegation, who are currently on an official visit to the kingdom. This Israeli delegation is visiting the kingdom aims to follow up on enhancing means of joint cooperation between the two sides, according to what was agreed upon after previous meetings, to discuss health issues, including emergency preparedness, training nurses, mutual recognition of licenses to practise medical professions, and sending patients for treatment in the State of Israel, along with the organ transplant programme. Minister Al-Saleh welcomed the delegation and commended the level of the ongoing cooperation between the two sides, stressing the importance of broadening cooperation between the two countries, especially in the health and medical fields, to achieve common aspirations. During the meeting, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health, Dr. Waleed Khalifa Al Manea, gave a presentation about the health system in the Kingdom, highlighting its achievements and progress over more than 100 years. The two sides discussed all topics on the visiting delegation’s agenda, in addition to the mechanism of cooperation for the future work plan. The minister affirmed that such meetings will reflect positively on the progress march currently witnessed by the kingdom, noting that areas of bilateral cooperation will be enhanced in order to serve the two countries’ interests. The visiting delegation praised the warm welcome and hospitality accorded to them, hailing the kingdom’s robust health system and the competence of the qualified national health staff that work hard and diligently in accordance with the approved international standards. Al-Saleh appreciated the continuous cooperation and coordination between the two sides in the health field. The Israeli delegation is expected to visit several health facilities in the kingdom, including the King Hamad University Hospital, the Salmaniya Medical Complex and the Shaikh Abdulla bin Khalid Al Khalifa Health Centre, in addition to a visit to the Supreme Council for Health. It is worth noting that the governments of Bahrain and Israel had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in the health field, on the sidelines of the visit of the Israeli Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, to the kingdom. Under the MoU, the two sides will enhance their cooperation and exchange expertise in issues of mutual interest, such as combating global epidemics, emergency management, medical and pharmaceutical systems, education, training and medical simulation, as well as data protection in the fields of medicine and public health. It also stipulates increasing visits by specialists, establishing large-scale joint economic and health projects, in addition to cooperation in the field of health and medical research.