Health Minister to WHO chief: 1100 medical aid shipments delivered in the past five months

Geneva, SANA – Health Minister Nizar Yazigi said 1100 medical aid shipments were delivered in the provinces in the past five months, most of them sent to difficult-to-reach areas.

During a meeting with the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Margaret Chan in the Swiss city Geneva, Yazigi noted that 800 of the aid shipments were provided by international organizations, on top of them the WHO.

Talks between the Minister and Chan focused on the prospects of joint cooperation and discussed the Syrian Health Ministry’s efforts to deliver medical aid to people, especially those affected by the ongoing war.

Yazigi expressed thanks to the WHO for supporting the health sector in Syria and helping in responding to the needs of its people and providing health services, particularly in terms of confronting polio, as no new cases of the disease have been detected in more than 28 months, according to the Minister.

He affirmed that the health situation in Syria remains stable where no pandemics or epidemics were registered throughout the past period, expressing hope that the WHO will make more efforts to help the Syrian people who are under an unjust economic blockade.

The meeting between Yazigi and Chan came on the sidelines of the 69th session of the World Health Assembly (WHA) that kicked off in Geneva today. Syria is participating in the Assembly’s meetings along with the 194 member states and the representatives of international organizations and donors.

M. al-Frieh/H. Said