Egypt's Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel Ghaffar received on Sunday evening Switzerland's Ambassador in Cairo Yvonne Baumann to discuss bolstering cooperation between the two countries in the health sector. According to a statement released by the ministry on Monday, the meeting dealt with opportunities to expand the horizons of cooperation between Egypt and Switzerland in the fields of smart hospitals, the production of drugs and medical equipment, and blood banks, in addition to raising the efficiency and quality of health services provided in medical facilities. The statement explained that the meeting also covered the existing cooperation between the two sides in establishing two units for the safe disposal of hazardous medical waste, which is being implemented in Daqahleya. It further added that the minister discussed with the Swiss side the possibility of generalising the cooperation model in the shredding and sterilisation units of medical waste in Daqahleya across the country within the framework of the state's efforts to introduce environmentally friendly practices in a number of hospitals. Additionally, the meeting reviewed the opportunities to expand cooperation between the two sides in the fields of drug production and medical equipment, as the minister praised the efforts of the Swiss side in cooperating with the ministry to provide drugs and diagnostic supplies for the two initiatives to eliminate the Hepatitis C virus and support women's health. According to the statement, the minister also called on the Swiss side to inspect the comprehensive health insurance system being implemented in Ismailia and Port Said, review its work mechanisms, discuss opportunities for exchanging experiences in the field of medical digitisation, as well as discuss strengthening the existing cooperation between the two sides in the field of blood bank services by training medical cadres and exchanging experiences in the mechanisms of work in the centres. Finally, the two sides stressed the importance of cooperation between the two countries in investing in the health field in Egypt and supporting the pharmaceutical sector through cooperation between the concerned companies in the two countries.
