TEHRAN – The deputy health minister, Alireza Raeisi, and the ambassador to Qatar, Ali Salehabadi, have announced the country’s willingness to enhance cooperation in the health sector with Qatar.

The officials met on the sidelines of the sixth Global Ministerial Mental Health Summit held on September 30 in Doha, Qatar, ISNA reported.

Elaborating on the health ministry’s programs and priorities on mental and public health, Raeisi underlined the significance of fostering joint efforts to improve medical services.

Salehabadi, for his part, welcomed expanding joint efforts and announced readiness to facilitate interactions between the two countries.

The 6th Global Ministerial Mental Health Summit, hosted by the Government of Qatar, continued the momentum established by previous summits held in London, Amsterdam, Paris, Rome, and Buenos Aires. These summits have collectively emphasised the critical need for integrating mental health into public policies and have highlighted the importance of a global commitment to mental health, building on other global initiatives, including the UN Sustainable Development 2030 Agenda, the High-Level Commission on Non-Communicable Diseases, and the WHO Mental Health Action Plan 2013–2020–2030.

The underlying purpose of these summits is to foster international collaboration, share best practices, and develop innovative solutions to improve mental health care systems worldwide.

The overarching goal is to address mental health as a critical component of overall health, social justice, and human rights, aligning with the UN Human Rights Council Resolution on Mental Health and Human Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The 6th Summit aligned with Qatar’s vision of a future founded on innovation and sustainable development. Under the theme of “Transforming Mental Health through Investment, Innovation, and Digital Solutions,” the Summit explored several dimensions of innovation in mental health care.

Qatar interested in boosting health co-op with Iran

In October 2024, Salih Al Marri, the Qatari assistant minister for health affairs, held a meeting with Raeisi and Mohammad-Hossein Niknam, the deputy health minister for international affairs, expressing interest in enhancing cooperation with Iran in the health sector.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the seventy-first session of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO). It was held in Doha, Qatar, from October 14 to 17 under the theme of “health beyond borders: action, access, equity,” the health ministry’s website reported.

The Qatari official highlighted Qatar’s high capabilities in the field of health and expressed the country’s willingness to increase cooperation with Iran’s health ministry.

Raeisi, for his part, described the current relations between the two countries in the health sector as great and growing.

Underscoring that the two countries possess good capacities in health infrastructure, disease control, digital health systems, and other areas, he said that enhancing the cooperation will boost the capacities.

The official proposed improving ties in communicable disease management through early detection and sharing expertise.

According to Niknam, two memorandums of understanding were signed with Qatar, and the two countries established related working groups.

MT/MG