Turkish-Egyptian hospital in Cairo soon, says health minister

By Anadolu staff

CAIRO (AA) – A Turkish-Egyptian hospital will be built in the new administrative capital east of Cairo, Egyptian Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar told Anadolu in an exclusive interview on Friday.

"The hospital's establishment protocol will be signed among other protocols during the upcoming visit of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to Ankara in April," Ghaffar said.

He added that “Several protocols, including one in the health sector, will be signed during the visit, including the establishment of a Turkish-Egyptian hospital in the new administrative capital.”

The Egyptian minister said: “We look forward to significant cooperation in various fields, especially in the health sector, in the coming period, so that we can expand the scope of cooperation and maximize the benefit from the capabilities of the two largest countries in the region.”

To a question, the Egyptian minister described Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to Cairo as "historic."

“I had the honor of being the head of the honorary mission to receive President Erdogan, and my colleagues Turkish ministers,” he added.

Ghaffar asserted that Erdogan's visit to Egypt “sends an important message to the region and the entire world about the return of strong relations between Egypt and Türkiye to their historical roots spanning thousands of years.”

- Collaboration in health care

Regarding health cooperation between the two countries, Ghaffar noted that “We started cooperation since the events in Gaza last October, in coordination with the Turkish Embassy in Egypt, as well as through continuous cooperation and meetings with Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca.”

He added, “Since that date, cooperation and communication have not stopped daily through meetings, hosting delegations from Turkish emergency and relief administrations, international aid from the Turkish Red Crescent, and a group of doctors and specialists to review cases (Palestinians injured) in Egypt and sending many cases of the injured to Türkiye.”

He continued, "Today, we witness an Egyptian-Turkish meeting on organ transplantation, to make it a significant research, scientific, and therapeutic cooperation for the benefit of both Turkish and Egyptian people."

Earlier on Friday, the Egyptian Ministry of Health said in a statement that Ghaffar had received a delegation from the Turkish Organ Transplantation Society to discuss ways of cooperation and exchanging experiences in the field.

The minister proposed forming an Egyptian association specializing in organ transplantation, similar to the Turkish model.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala