Serbia seeks to enhance health medical ties with Iran
Serbia seeks to enhance health, medical ties with Iran
TEHRAN –Serbian Ambassador to Tehran, Damir Kovacevic, has announced his country’s readiness to expand collaborations with Iran in the health and medical education sector.
During a meeting held on Tuesday, Kovacevic and Health Minister Mohammad-Hossein Zafarqandi explored avenues for fostering cooperation in different sectors including health, medicine, and medical sciences.
Commending Iran’s notable accomplishments in the health sector, particularly stem cells, the official expressed Serbia’s interest in cooperating with Iran in the field, the health ministry’s website reported.
He also highlighted the significance of collaborative partnerships in providing better services to Iranian and Serbian people.
“Hence, a draft of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) is prepared which will be finalized after making needed agreements between health ministries of the two countries,” the official added.
The MOU will cover a wide range of activities including exchanging knowledge and expertise, dispatching experts and specialists, transferring medical devices and equipment, sharing technological achievements, developing medicine, strengthening health tourism, providing long-term care to patients, conducting joint research, and holding scientific congresses, Kovacevic noted.
Zafarqandi, for his turn, welcomed boosting cooperation while highlighting the country’s achievements in different fields like cell therapy, organ transplantation, and health tourism.
He called it essential to get familiar with the capacities and potentials of the health ministry in each country to benefit from shared strengths. The official said that it will also help to lay the ground for exchanging capabilities and synergies.
“We will do our best to finalize the memorandum of understanding to be signed by the two sides as soon as possible,” he further noted.
Iran, Serbia health ties
In 2023, Serbia called for using Iran’s expertise in the field of organ transplantation by sending patients to Iran for treatment and dispatching professors to learn the newest methods.
“Serbian officials are also interested in cooperating with Iran in the field of genetics,” Mohammad-Hossein Nicknam, an official with health ministry, said.
“We are ready to conduct joint research and boost academic cooperation between the two countries,” he added.
Nicknam made the remarks on the sidelines of his meeting with the Serbian deputy health minister in Tehran on January 22.
Pointing out that Serbia has good experiences in the field of health tourism, Nicknam said: “In the meeting with the deputy health minister of Serbia, it was decided to exchange experiences in this field.”
“‘In this line, we are ready to expand joint research and academic projects between the two countries.”
Nicknam referred to the exchange of students as one of the topics discussed in the meeting with the Serbian official, noting that 70 Iranians are studying in the educational centers of Serbia.
Iranian universities are ready to accept Serbian students in short-term courses, he added.
He pointed to the help of Serbia to Iran during the coronavirus pandemic and said that Serbia sent two shipments of vaccine to Iran at that time.
Nicknam also touched on the cooperation between Belgrade University and Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, saying: “The Serbian side requested that more information about medical innovations made by knowledge-based companies be provided to them.”
The two sides discussed various types of procedures such as organ transplantation, cell therapy, and cosmetic surgery, in which the Islamic Republic of Iran has great expertise, and their costs are cheaper than in other countries.
It was decided that the Serbian side should present a list of their needs according to their priorities and hold a webinar on these fields with Iran. After that, a memorandum of understanding between the two countries would be completed and signed.
MT/MG
source: tehrantimes.com