Turkish health minister to take part in S.Arabia event

By Kenan Irtak and Hanife Sevinc

ISTANBUL

Health ministers from 57 Muslim countries will meet in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for an international conference on December 5-7.

Health Minister Ahmet Demircan will represent Turkey in the 6th Session of Health Ministers' Conference hosted by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, or OIC.

The Jeddah event will seek ways to promote cooperation in health among OIC member states, Demircan told journalists at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport before his departure for the kingdom.

Turkey aims to rank among the ten best healthcare systems in the world by 2023.

“Turkey has done what few other countries have managed to do: To dramatically improve health and health system outcomes in a very limited period of time,” said a 2012 report by The World Health Organization's Europe Regional Office said.

The Jeddah conference will address the "OIC Strategic Health Plan of Action 2014-2023" and the promotion of healthy lifestyle, prevention and control of communicable and non-communicable diseases, health emergencies and disaster situations.

The ministers of member states will also discuss health conditions in occupied Palestine, including East Jerusalem and the occupied Syrian Golan region.