Latvia is interested in developing health tourism by offering people from Monaco services at Latvian medical institutions, as there is still a great potential for development in this area, Health Minister Hossam Abu Meri (New Unity) said Wednesday.
As LETA was told at the Health Ministry, Abu Meri met with the Honorary Consul of the Principality of Monaco in Latvia, attorney-at-law Maris Grudulis, and discussed the possibilities to strengthen and develop cooperation in the future.
The health minister confirmed that Latvia is interested in the development of health tourism by offering services to Monaco’s residents at Latvian medical institutions, as there is still a great potential for development in this area. The honorary consul noted that Monaco is currently experiencing a shortage of doctors and wants to attract doctors from EU countries. The minister pointed out that cooperation with Latvia in this field should be assessed at the level of universities, which train physicians and other medical personnel in the framework of foreign study programs.
In 2017, a conference “Latvia meets Monaco: Obstetrics and Gynecology” was held in Monaco, where leading specialists from both countries exchanged their experience. The honorary consul noted that Latvian doctors are highly appreciated in Monaco.
During the meeting, the parties agreed that the countries could prepare a cooperation agreement outlining more specific areas of cooperation, including digital health solutions and primary healthcare, health promotion and disease prevention.
Latvia and Monaco are members of the World Health Organisation’s Small States Initiative (SCI), which brings together countries in the European region with a population of less than two million. A high-level meeting of the SCI is expected to be held in Cyprus in April, with cooperation on childhood oncology, access to medicines and the health workforce as key topics.
Source: BNS
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