Taliban Health Minister Travels to Belarus Sought Medical Cooperation
Nur Jalal Jalali, acting minister of public health in the Taliban administration, has travelled to Belarus at the head of an official delegation in a move aimed at seeking new cooperation in health care and medicine amid pressure on Afghanistan’s health system and a shortage of resources.
The Taliban-run Ministry of Public Health said the trip was planned to expand health cooperation, exchange experience and visit Belarusian scientific and medical centres. According to the ministry, the Afghan delegation was welcomed upon arrival in Minsk by Barys Androsiuk, deputy health minister of Belarus.
Under the announced programme, Jalali will meet with the leadership of Belarus’s Ministry of Health and visit several scientific and medical centres in the country. The list includes the Belarusian State Medical University, the state pharmaceutical manufacturing company, the Scientific and Practical Centre for Cardiology, the Scientific and Practical Centre for Oncology and Medical Radiology, the Republican Centre for Hygiene and Epidemiology, and the Minsk City Clinical Emergency Hospital.
According to officials from both sides, the visit is expected to include talks on cooperation in health services, medical training, drug production and the development of specialist departments. Belarusian officials have described the trip as a step towards strengthening bilateral relations in the health sector.
The visit comes as Afghanistan’s health system has in recent years been grappling with serious problems, including a shortage of financial resources, reduced international aid and restrictions on medicine imports. After political changes in Kabul, the activities of many international organisations were also scaled back, increasing pressure on the health sector.
In recent months, the Taliban administration has sought to meet some of domestic needs by finding new partners in the pharmaceuticals and medical equipment sectors. Belarus is one of the Eastern European countries with capacities in scientific and industrial fields, including health-related production.
