Noor Jalala Jalali, the acting Minister of Public Health, held discussions with Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, regarding Afghanistan’s healthcare sector.
According to the Ministry of Public Health, the discussions focused on securing further cooperation in the health sector, strengthening efforts to combat polio and other infectious diseases, delivering healthcare services in remote areas, and ensuring the participation of ministry representatives in international health conferences and meetings.
Sharafat Zaman Amarkhil, spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health, told TOLOnews: “This meeting followed up on a previous discussion held in Geneva and addressed health aid for Afghanistan, including the construction of health centers in remote areas and the provision of services.”
Meanwhile, some doctors have urged Public Health officials to advocate for sustained WHO cooperation with Afghanistan during such meetings.
Abdul Naeem Halimi, a physician, told TOLOnews: “This meeting between the Minister of Public Health, the WHO Director-General, and other countries is highly significant. Our health sector needs to be strengthened to combat viruses effectively.”
Another doctor, Abdul Hameed Sahebzada, said: “We face shortcomings in vaccine availability. We must work together with other countries to eradicate diseases.”
This comes as the acting Minister of Public Health traveled to Jeddah on Friday to participate in the Fourth Ministerial Meeting on “Antimicrobial Resistance.”