Tehran – The delegation led by Health Minister Mohammad Reza Zafarkandi is taking part in the eighth meeting of the Ministry of Health, the Shanghai Cooperation Agency (SCO) in Xi’an, China.
Health ministers of China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as senior managers of the World Health Organization, are also attending the meeting, Mehr’s news agency reported.
The weekly event, which began on April 24th, will be held under the theme of “Promoting sustainable health development and sharing a healthy future.” It will focus on topics such as increasing the resilience of the health system through primary healthcare (PHC), risk management and medical emergency situations, improving health services using digital technologies such as telemedicine and artificial intelligence, and supporting cooperation in the development of traditional medicine.
At the eighth meeting of health ministers of SCO member states, two documents will be signed, including the eighth meeting of the SCO Health Ministers and the declaration of the SCO Medical Emergency Action Plan.
Zafarqandi will give a speech and hold discussions with the health ministers of SCO member states on ways to improve health relations.
On the first day of his visit to China on April 24th, Zafarkandi attended a conference entitled “Health Based on Change and Innovation: New Opportunities for Iran-China Cooperation in the Field of Medical Technology.”
Zafarkandi said Iran and China have been working on the conference to have a great cooperation in the health sector over the years.
Zafarqandi expressed optimism that the medical partnership between Iran and China will expand given the advancement of the two countries in the fields of medicine, medicine and medical devices, and took practical and enforceable measures following President Masoud Pezeshkian’s visit to China.
During the meeting, around 18 Chinese drug, medical and hospital equipment manufacturers introduced the products and proposed medical manufacturing, technology transfer and collaborations to meet Iran’s needs.
The seventh meeting of health ministers of SCO member states was held in Kazakhstan in March.
The health and safety of the drinking water environment was the main topic of the three-day event. Three documents have been signed to promote cooperation on safe drinking water and sewage management, adopting comprehensive policies and basic measures to improve health care in Member States from 2025 to 2027.
Tehran is trying to support health cooperation with SCO
The Ministry of Health plans to strengthen collaboration with member states of Shanghai Cooperation Agency and inter-BRICS government organizations.
The fourth coordination and consensus meeting of the special working group to support the cooperation between BRICS and SCO was held in Tehran on August 17, 2024, the Ministry of Health’s website reported.
During the meeting, Mohammad Amir Amirkani, deputy director of the International Affairs Department of Health, stressed the need to recognize and benefit the SCO’s country membership capabilities to promote international cooperation.
Representative of Mehrdad Kiaei, SCO Secretariat, representative of Iran’s Islamic Republic, said he looks forward to Iran having very good relations with SCO member states and playing a more important role thanks to the country’s strategic position in various sectors such as energy, communication and health.
Officials also evaluated the proposal to form a special working group in the health sector, including an advisory working group on the provision of emergency medicines and universal health insurance in the Shanghai system.
At the end of this meeting, members of the working group discussed and reviewed an overview of the proposed programmes in relevant areas of collaboration with SCO.
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