Egypt's Health and Population Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar met with World Bank's regional director Stephane Lambert to discuss the country's health system development and explore new cooperation opportunities, as per a Cabinet statement. Abdel Ghaffar praised the fruitful collaboration between the ministry and the World Bank, expressing his hopes for continued partnership to address challenges and achieve sustainable development objectives. The meeting focused on enhancing collaboration in key areas of human development, including family planning, primary healthcare, and early childhood care. The minister stressed the importance of leveraging international expertise and establishing periodic follow-up mechanisms to monitor progress and address any obstacles promptly, the statement added. Additionally, the meeting reviewed progress on ongoing projects aimed at improving healthcare services through the provision of medical equipment and supplies, as well as training programmes to enhance staff skills. Stephane Lambert commended Egypt's efforts in reducing the total birth rate to 2.41 births per woman in 2024, a milestone originally projected for 2027, reflecting a societal shift towards conscious family planning. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: M. S. Salama
