Health Ministry, WHO sign joint work plan

Damascus, SANA – The Health Ministry and the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday signed the work plan for their cooperation program for 2016-2017.

The plan focuses on five fields that have priority in the health sector: contagious diseases, non-contagious diseases, improving health for various age groups (particularly mothers, children, and the elderly), boosting healthcare systems, and developing capabilities to deal with emergencies and disasters.

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In a statement to the press after signing the work plan, Health Minister Nizar Yazigi voiced appreciation for the technical support provided by the WHO throughout the past years, particularly throughout the war imposed on Syria, noting that this support helped bolster the Ministry’s efforts in preserving health security and meeting citizens’ health needs.

Yazigi said he is looking forward to continuing cooperation with the WHO in all fields to improve the healthcare system, providing services for affected citizens, improving emergency medical services, and rehabilitating health infrastructure affected by terrorism.

For her part, resident representative of the WHO in Damascus Elizabeth Hoff said the constructive cooperation between the Organization and the Ministry helped in providing the needs of affected people and dealing with contagious diseases, particularly polio.

She asserted that the WHO is committed to bolstering cooperation in all the sectors that were classified as having priority by the Health Ministry, and that coordination will continue to constantly identify challenges in the health sectors and deal with them.

The previous cooperation program for 2014-2015 between the Ministry and the WHO, which was signed in March 2014, covered the fields of primary healthcare, diseases covered by the national vaccination program, reproductive health, contagious diseases, terminal diseases, monitoring and responding to epidemics, and social health indicators, in addition for policies and strategies for healthcare systems and emergency and crises management.

Hazem Sabbagh

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