Istanbul hosts Congress on Health in Africa

By Guc Gonel, Gulsum Incekaya

ISTANBUL (AA) - Several African health ministers and experts along with Turkish authorities had an exchange of ideas in Istanbul on Thursday on the recent developments concerning health issues in Africa.

The event was organized by the Federation of Islamic Medical Associations (FIMA) for the 35th Scientific Congress in partnership with the Turkish Ministry of Health, Hayat Foundation, and Istanbul Medeniyet University.

Over 700 international participants from 60 countries are taking part in the two-day conference.

Sudan Health Minister Bahar Idriss Abu Garda said the Africa had experienced serious health-related difficulties, most of which are still ongoing.

"Especially the mortality rate of 0-5-year-old children, injustice in access to healthcare and infectious diseases have caused severe distress among the citizens," he said.

Abu Garda added that the Turkish government had been generous in providing aid to the needy Sudanese.

Somalia Health Minister Fawziya Abikar Nur emphasized that the health sector in the country had suffered a great deal due to the civil war.

- FIMA

"As Somalia, we have a long way to go and we want to improve our system as much as possible," Nur said, extending her thanks to the Turkish government for its support.

Uganda Health Minister Sarah Achieng Opendi said the world was now a global village.

"We have to create countries purified from diseases and infections," she said. "The cholera outbreak in West Africa rapidly spread across all other countries, proving that we must operate in harmony to avoid such incidents."

FIMA Chairman Tanveer Zubairi said this conference was an opportunity to discuss the difficulties faced in the African health sector.

Zubairi said that the issues overlooked in the global health field would be addressed.

"Over 50,000 people work worldwide in the Federation, providing help to the needy no matter where they are," he said.

"FIMA has taken significant steps in recent years in dealing with HIV, eye diseases and harelip and we are hoping to improve our system even more," he added.

Established in 1981, the Federation of Islamic Medical Associations is a global organization that aims to provide a platform for member organizations and Muslim healthcare professionals from around to world to exchange knowledge and experiences.

* Ali Murat Alhas contributed to this report from Ankara.