Caretaker Minister of Public Health, Firas Abiad, continued his meetings today in the French capital, Paris, where he met with the new French Minister of Health, Aurélien Rousseau, in the presence of the Chargé d’Affairs at the Lebanese Embassy in Paris, Ziad Taan, and the official for international cooperation in the French Ministry of Health, Jerome Weinbach, as well as the director of the office of French Minister Guylaine Chauvin, and a member of the accompanying delegation, Pierre Anhouri. During the meeting, the framework agreement signed between the Lebanese and French Ministries of Health regarding cooperation and coordination of a number of projects related to the health sector was confirmed. Talks also touched on the projects currently being implemented, most notably the cooperation between the Ministry of Public Health and French institutions in the National Cancer Plan and the Digital Transformation Plan, in addition to restructuring the Health and Vital Data Unit in the Ministry to update existing data and establish projects based on actual needs. In this context, Minister Rousseau affirmed his country’s commitment to assisting the Lebanese health system by moving forward with the agreed-upon projects, in addition to establishing new projects within the framework agreement signed between both sides. In turn, Minister Abiad thanked his French counterpart for his country’s valuable assistance in the health sector, ‘as France is considered one of the most important supporters of Lebanon, whether in terms of humanitarian aid or support for joint programs with the Ministry of Public Health.’ He added: “France’s standing by the health system in Lebanon had a great impact on its steadfastness, and on establishing effective projects to modernize the systems and ensure fair access to health services.” During his work visit to the French capital, Minister Abiad also met with Dominique Libault, director of the National Higher Institute for Social Security (EN3S), who briefed him on the institute’s endeavors in training cadres in the areas of health coverage, in addition to the reforms that have been achieved to cover the elderly. Talks centered on ways to help Lebanon in this field. Abiad also participated in the conference of international French experts held for the second year in a row, where he gave a speech about the importance of cooperation between Lebanon and France in opening horizons for the development and modernity that Lebanon needs.

Source: National News Agency – Lebanon