Saudi Gazette report

LONDON — Saudi Arabia's Health Minister Fahad Al-Jalajel and Steve Barclay, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care in the UK, have signed a memorandum of cooperation (MoC) between the two ministries.

The MoC aims to enhance cooperation between the two ministries and deepen collaboration in fields of common interest in healthcare.

It also aims to complete the existing partnership efforts with the support of the two kingdoms' leaderships, which was evident in the joint statement during the visit of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to UK in 2018, and subsequent meetings of the Saudi-British Strategic Partnership Council.

The two sides have agreed to continue the exchange of technical expertise and joint work, seek to explore commercial and investment opportunities, and achieve the common interests of both parties and the goals of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030.

They have held a consultative session in which they discussed aspects of cooperation between the two countries, benefiting from the experience in recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as in the fields of virtual health care and digital health.

Moreover, the two sides have discussed matters related to Saudi Arabia hosting the 4th session of the Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Conference in 2024, and providing expertise in this aspect.

Activating cooperation between specialists in Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom in various regulatory, oversight, financing and operational aspects was also discussed.

The MoC was signed during the official visit by Al-Jalajel to the United Kingdom.