TEHRAN (Iran News) –The Iranian health minister, Bahram Einollahi, and his Saudi Arabian counterpart, Fahad bin Abdurrahman Al-Jalajel, have stressed the need to establish a joint committee to help solve regional health problems.

In a meeting, held via webinar, Einollahi and Al-Jalajel discussed and exchanged ideas in the fields of health and treatment, emphasizing the need for collaboration to improve health in the region, Mehr reported.

Einollahi pointed to the Hajj season, saying: “Cooperation between the two countries can have a significant effect on improving health indicators of the pilgrims.”

He also said Iranian universities and faculties of medical sciences are ready to cooperate with Saudi Arabia in the fields of science, research, and education.

“The two countries can act as health hubs of the region and help other regional countries in case of infectious disease outbreaks.”

Al-Jalajel, for his part, said: “We welcome the expansion of international and regional relations and we are eager to reinforce cooperation between the two countries in the field of healthcare.”

He said, “Memorandums of understanding with the Islamic Republic of Iran on health and medical issues will expand cooperation between the two countries.”

An MOU to boost cooperation in the field of health has been drafted by the two sides and will be signed as soon as Al-Jalajel visits Iran.

Iran a role model for primary healthcare

In August, Einollahi in a meeting with Abdul Razak Ahmad, the Malaysian deputy science minister, said many countries in the region are asking Iran for help with issues related to health.

Emphasizing that all diseases are currently treated in the country, the minister added: “With the help of scientists, we were able to educate efficient human resources,” ISNA reported.

“With the efforts that have been made during the 44 years after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, today we have the strongest health system in the region in such a way that the health indicators in the Islamic Republic are far ahead of other countries in the region.”

All the indicators of health and treatment have made significant progress after the Islamic Revolution, and now Iran is one of the leading countries in this field, Saeed Karimi, the deputy health minister has said.

Health is one of the areas that got a good jump after the Islamic Revolution, ISNA quoted Karimi as saying.

“At the beginning of the Revolution, there were just 56,000 hospital beds, but now we have 156,000 hospital beds,” he noted.

Meanwhile, there were just seven thousand specialists, but now there are 70 thousand specialists and sub-specialists in the country, he added.

In June 2021, Ahmed al-Mandhari, the World Health Organization director for the Eastern Mediterranean Region, said the Islamic Republic of Iran is a role model for primary health care.

For the past four decades, its PHC network has aimed to ensure that people have timely access to affordable, accessible, and acceptable essential health services, he explained.

In October 2021, World Health Organization (WHO) representative to Iran Jaffar Hussain, said that Iran’s health system can be a model for other countries in the region, especially in the field of health and the use of valuable forces such as healthcare providers.

The national budget bill for the current Iranian calendar year 1402, which started on March 21, has increased the health sector’s budget by 29 percent compared to the current year’s budget.