Daily Times

Cairo: The Federal Health Minister Abdul Qadir Patel met Saudi Arab’s Minister for Health Fahad Bin Abdur Rehman Al-Jalaja here on Tuesday.

The Federal Minister briefed the Saudi Minister over the issues of recognition and degrees accreditation related to Pakistani Medical Universities including MS, MD, PHD awarded by Pakistani Medical Universities.

The Minister said Pakistani Medical Universities are awarding degrees to post-grad medical doctors on merit and as per international standards. The Saudi Health Minister assured Pakistani counterpart that matter relating to MS, MD, PHD degrees registration/ accreditation issue will be taken up by the concerned and he will ensure for an early resolution to the matter.

Abdul Qadir Patel also shared briefly about Pakistani professionals – skilled – nurses, paramedics, technicians, including physiotherapists requesting the Saudi Health Minister that services of these professionals should be engaged on priority on Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Health Minister said: “Both Pakistan and Saudi Arab share common religious family values and looking after the elderly and patients by trained professional nurses will be great work.”

He said that his ministry with help of Overseas Pakistan Ministry will ensure that nurses and paramedical staff learns the Arabic language so it will be easy for them to get hired in the Kingdom.

The Saudi Health Minister appreciated Pakistan’s border health services initiative saying it will also help other regions as well to meet global health security challenge”.

Health Minister Qadir Patel said that disease has no borders but to put some check and resistance we need new scientific interventions like border health security services with digital data bank of traveller crossing into Pakistani borders or leaving the borders for security of other regions as well.

Abdul Qadir Patel invited Saudi Health minister for visit to Pakistan. The Saudi Arab’s Health Minister said that both – Saudi Arab and Pakistan are very close friends and have strong brotherly and religious bondings.