WHO Representative Dr Ahmed Zouiten (left) meets with Iraqi Prime Minister Mr Mohammed S. Al-Sudani (centre)
Baghdad, Iraq, 6 April 2023 — WHO Representative Dr Ahmed Zouiten met today in Baghdad with the Iraqi Prime Minister Mr Mohammed S. Al-Sudani on the occasion of the celebration of World Health Day, which also commemorates the 75th anniversary of the establishment of WHO on 7 April 1948.
The meeting discussed the collaboration between the Government of Iraq and WHO and the progress made in the health sector over more than 3 decades of WHO presence in Iraq.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister congratulated WHO on its 75th anniversary, emphasizing that the WHO theme of providing health is perfectly in sync with the Iraqi government programme that placed the health sector at the top of its priorities.
"WHO has witnessed significant efforts from the Iraqi government in improving the health care sector, as demonstrated by H.E. Prime Minister's commitment, who prioritized hospitals soon after being nominated the head of the Iraqi Government," said Dr Ahmed Zouiten, WHO Representative in Iraq.
"We're grateful for the Government's focus on primary health care, health security and health promotion. WHO is committed to partnering with the Iraqi Ministry of Health to support the development of the National Plan for Health Development, aiming to achieve the targets of the health-related Sustainable Development Goals and ensure the highest attainable health status for everyone everywhere in Iraq," he added.
The Prime Minister also emphasized the importance of providing health care services and working to achieve this through various initiatives. These include adopting joint management programmes for large hospitals in line with international best practices, completing stalled hospital projects, supporting specialized centres, allocating unprecedented budgets for the Ministry of Health within the federal budget, and implementing the national health insurance programme.
