Cairo: Minister of Health and Population Khaled Abdel Ghaffar affirmed Egypt's commitment to continuing its medical and humanitarian support for Palestinians and enhancing health cooperation with Qatar to support the Palestinian healthcare system and alleviate the suffering of people in the Gaza Strip.
According to State Information Service Egypt, Abdel Ghaffar made the remarks during a meeting with Qatari Minister of State for International Cooperation Mariam Bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad. The discussions aimed at strengthening bilateral healthcare cooperation and supporting Palestinians amid the ongoing humanitarian and health crisis in Gaza. The meeting took place at the ministry's headquarters in New Alamein City.
Abdel Ghaffar emphasized the strong ties between Egypt and Qatar, highlighting the ongoing coordination and cooperation between the two nations across various fields, particularly in healthcare. Health Ministry spokesman Hossam Abdel Ghaffar noted that the meeting reviewed Egypt's efforts to provide healthcare to Palestinians. He mentioned that around 172 Egyptian hospitals have received Palestinian patients and injured individuals, offering various forms of medical and psychological support and conducting nearly 3,000 surgical operations.
'Egypt has received around 112,000 Palestinian cases for medical treatment since the provision of healthcare services began,' he added. The meeting also explored several areas of joint cooperation to support Palestinians, including establishing a joint Egyptian-Qatari mechanism for emergency health response in Gaza to aid efforts in rebuilding the Palestinian healthcare system.
The discussions further included plans to enhance Egypt's strategic stockpile of medicines and medical supplies for Gaza. Additionally, there was a focus on launching a joint program for mental health, psychological support, and cancer treatment for Palestinian children.
Following the meeting, an agreement was signed between the Qatar Fund for Development and the Ministry of Health and Population to establish Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani Hospital in Sohag Governorate. This initiative is expected to further strengthen Egyptian-Qatari healthcare cooperation. The hospital will have a capacity of 360 beds and is anticipated to provide integrated healthcare services to approximately 740,000 residents of the governorate, the city, and surrounding areas.