Minister of Health Dr. Ahmed Al-Awadhi received the United Kingdom’s Trade Envoy to Kuwait, Lord Ian McNicol, in the presence of Assistant Undersecretary for External Health Services Dr. Hisham Ahmed Kalender, to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the health sector.
During the meeting, both sides reviewed mechanisms to enhance health relations and agreed on practical steps for joint cooperation, in line with the memorandum of understanding on health cooperation signed last October between the Ministry of Health and Healthcare UK.
The agreement was concluded on the sidelines of the 22nd session of the Joint Steering Group meetings held in London, reports Al-Rai daily.
Dr. Al-Awadhi expressed his appreciation for the distinguished and steadily growing relations between Kuwait and the United Kingdom across various fields, underscoring the Ministry’s keenness to deepen health cooperation in a manner that serves patients’ interests and contributes to developing the healthcare system in accordance with the highest international standards.
Lord McNicol praised the strong and effective bilateral partnership between the two countries, noting that cooperation in healthcare represents a cornerstone of Kuwait–UK relations.
He also expressed the United Kingdom’s readiness to continue working closely with Kuwait to achieve tangible outcomes.
Dr. Kalender said the meeting reviewed broad prospects for cooperation, including benefiting from leading British expertise in training and qualification programs for national cadres, particularly nursing staff, as well as exchanging experiences in hospital management and operations.
Discussions also covered enhancing cooperation in pharmaceutical industries and joint medical research.
He added that one of the key projects stemming from the memorandum of understanding is cooperation with the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), to build national capabilities in health technology assessment and developing evidence-based treatment protocols.
Dr. Kalender noted that the meeting aligns with leadership directives to support international partnerships and knowledge exchange, reaffirming the Ministry of Health’s commitment to adopting best global practices to improve the quality of healthcare services provided to citizens and residents.
