Abdul Rahman Bin Mohammed Al Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has discussed with Dr Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah, Minister of Health of Saudi Arabia and Kuwaiti Health Minister Sheikh Dr Basel Al-Humoud Al-Sabah, ways of boosting cooperation and coordination in the health sector.

The meeting was held recently on the sidelines of the 45th Arab Health being held at Dubai World Trade Centre. 

H.E. Dr Mohammad Salim Al Olama, Undersecretary of the Ministry, and a number of officials from the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait attended the meeting, which touched on methods of improving health services and how to keep abreast of the latest developments in the health sector.

The ministers stressed the importance of adopting advanced health policies to develop state-of-the-art health systems, improve patient safety and enhance the quality of provided healthcare services.

They also emphasized the importance of holding conferences and exhibitions to exchange expertise, share successful experiences and learn about the latest medical innovations.

The UAE Ministry of Health is very keen to enhance its partnership with sisterly countries in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), said Al Owais.

He highlighted that the Gulf Health Council plays a pivotal role in supporting the wellbeing of GCC citizens and enhance their integration. “The GCC states share deeply rooted relations and a common vision for the future. They are relentlessly working towards achieving common goals including fulfilling the aspirations of their peoples and leaderships, realizing the sustainable development goals and addressing challenges facing health systems,” the minister added.

For their parts, the Saudi and Kuwaiti ministers affirmed that their countries’ partnerships with the UAE are getting stronger and more effective. They lauded the UAE’s leading efforts being made to attract the latest health innovations and benefit from the best international practices to develop the health sector not only in the UAE but also in the region.

Al-Rabiah and Al-Sabah also highlighted the importance of the Arab Health, is a key platform to introduce the latest innovations in the health sector, share knowledge and expertise and highlight the best international practices developed to tackle health challenges and bring about quality achievements.

Meanwhile, Al Owais also met with Patrick Moody, British Ambassador to the UAE, and explored with his avenues of cooperation and ways of developing both countries’ relations in the health field.

They discussed the possibility of signing agreements and partnerships so that the UAE could benefit from the UK’s leading experience in the health domain.

The minister stressed that the UAE and UK share strong ties and that both countries are interested in strengthening their cooperation in the health field.

He noted that the UAE has always been keen to harness the latest health solutions, invest in the future of healthcare sector and introduce innovative initiatives including the 'UAE Strategy for Artificial Intelligence (AI)' and the UAE Strategy for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

For his part, the British ambassador expressed his country’s desire to boost its cooperation in the health field with the UAE, saying that he was impressed by the accelerated developments of the country’s health sector, which is now competing for global health systems.