IRNA News Agency reported on the meeting of Iranian Minister of Health and Medical Education Mohammad-Reza Zafarghandi with his counterpart from Uzbekistan, Asilbek Khudayarov, held within the framework of the 8th SCO Health Ministers' Meeting in China.

Officials from China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan, as well as representatives of the World Health Organization, attended the event.

The event, which began on April 24 under the slogan “Promoting sustainable health development and sharing a healthy future”, aims to increase the stability of the system through primary healthcare, strengthen cooperation in risk and emergency management, improve services using digital technologies such as telemedicine and artificial intelligence, as well as the development of traditional medicine.

Mohammad-Reza Zafarghandi touched upon the issue of expanding cooperation in healthcare between Iran and Uzbekistan and announced the establishment of a joint working group consisting of representatives of the two countries to continue their work effectively. Iran expressed its willingness to partner in such vital areas as liver transplantation, oncology, cell and gene therapy, and cardiovascular surgery. The significant role of tourism in developing diplomacy in healthcare, which can bring substantial benefits to both countries, was also noted.

Iran’s Deputy Minister and President of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Dr Mahdi Pirsalehi, expressed hope that cooperation in the pharmaceutical field will be expanded by speeding up the mutual registration of medicines.

In turn, A.Khudayarov stressed that the parties are interested in further developing relations, and the agreements reached so far are being effectively implemented and are yielding the expected results.

The Minister of Health of Uzbekistan, separately touching upon the topic of medical education, called on teachers and students to share their experience in both general and specialized medical disciplines.

A declaration and an action plan for emergency medical care are expected to be signed at the 8th SCO Health Ministers Meeting.

Muharrama Pirmatova, UzA