TEHRAN – Iraqi Health Minister Hani Musa Al-Aqabi and Iranian Deputy Health Minister Mohammad Hossein Nicknam discussed ways to expand cooperation in the field of health.

In a meeting in Tehran on Saturday, Niknam said that there is no limit to expanding health cooperation with the friendly and Muslim country of Iraq.

Praising Iran’s advanced health system, Al-Aqabi expressed hope to open a new chapter of health cooperation between the two countries.

Hossein Farshidi, the deputy health minister, also stated that the health of the work environment, air pollution, and sand and dust storms are among the fields of bilateral cooperation.

Covid-19 tested the resilience of the countries’ health system once again, and has caused us to seek further strengthening of the health network despite the significant successes, he explained.

Abolfazl Bagherifard, deputy health minister for education, also stated that medical education in Iran has a special feature that seldom exists in many countries, and it is integrated into treatment and health.

Iran has achieved remarkable success in the field of education and in the diagnosis of cancer and its treatment, including gene therapy, he added.

The officials further emphasized the need for an increase in the export of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment to Iraq, as well as joint scientific research.

Self-sufficiency in pharmaceuticals production

Iran has achieved remarkable success in the field of education and in the diagnosis of cancer and its treatment, including gene therapy.

The import of pharmaceuticals has declined in Iran by 91 percent, which shows the capability of the country’s pharmaceutical industry, Mohammad Reza Shanehsaz, former head of the Food and Drug Administration, said last year.

Today, all medicine used in the treatment of coronavirus are produced by domestic manufacturers, and if we wanted to import all the items, there would be a high exchange rate, he further stated, emphasizing that COVID-19 vaccine development indicates the pharmaceutical industry’s capability.

A total of 227 knowledge-based firms are supplying medical equipment for health centers across the country, according to the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology.

Iranian-made pharmaceuticals are currently exported to Canada, Japan, and Europe, Faramarz Ekhteraei, chairman of the Iranian Pharmaceutical Industries Syndicate said, emphasizing that 72 percent of the country's pharmaceutical raw materials are domestically produced.

Some 40 percent of the country's total pharmaceutical exports are biotechnology products, a member of the board of directors of the Association of Manufacturers and Exporters of Medical Biotechnology Products said.

Iranian-made medicine worth $7.5 million was exported to Russia over the past [Iranian calendar] year (March 2021-March 2022), an official with the Food and Drug Administration has said.

Iran’s biotechnology products are exported to European, Asian, and Latin American countries, and Iran's technology can compete with other countries in this field, he highlighted.

FB/MG