VZCZCXYZ0015
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHEG #0166/01 0281457
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 281455Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0073
INFO RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO

UNCLAS CAIRO 000166 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
DEPT FOR NEA/ELA, NEA/RA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID PGOV EG IZ
SUBJECT: EGYPT: Ministry of Health to Provide Assistance to Iraq 
 
REF: 09 CAIRO 2194 
 
¶1. (SBU) Key Points: 
 
--The Ministry of Health is expanding its medical cooperation with 
Iraqi and has signed agreements to allow sick Iraqis to seek 
treatment at Egyptian facilities and to offer training 
opportunities for Iraqi doctors. 
 
--The Ministry is reviewing an Iraqi request to design and build 
hospitals in Iraq but has already begun discussions to gauge 
Egyptian construction companies' interest. 
 
 
 
¶2. (SBU) Econoff met with Ministry of Health (MoH) Senior Advisor 
for International Cooperation and Agreement Affairs Mokhtar Warida 
on January 27 to discuss Egypt's expanded health assistance 
programs for the Iraqi Ministry of Health.  According to Warida - a 
member of Health Minister Hatem El-Gabaly's cabinet, MoH assistance 
for Iraq will focus on three key areas: increased medical access to 
Egyptian medical facilities for Iraqi patients, training, and 
hospital construction.  Warida noted that MoH only recently signed 
agreements with the Iraqi Health Ministry.  This new cooperation is 
part of the GoE-GoI joint committee (Ref A). 
 
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Medical Treatment 
 
----------------- 
 
 
 
¶3. (SBU) Under a January 2010, Iraqis with "serious medical 
conditions" will be permitted to travel to Egypt to seek treatment 
at government hospitals.  Warida stated that this development came 
at the formal request of the Iraqi government and that Egypt was 
prepared to ease visa and other travel restrictions for Iraqi 
patients.  Emphasizing that Iraqis would pay "the same prices as 
Egyptians, Warida said that medical bills are "significantly more 
expensive" for other foreigners than for Egyptians. He also 
explained that as a result of this new agreement, MoH has 
established a team dedicated solely to assisting Iraqis arriving 
for medical treatment. 
 
--------------------------------- 
 
Family Medicine Training Programs 
 
--------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) Warida noted MoH plans to offer new training programs for 
Iraqi doctors specializing in family medicine.  He explained that 
under an October 2009 protocol, Iraqi doctors would train for 3-6 
months at MoH's National Training Center and then return to Iraq to 
continue their medical practice.  Warida said that Egypt is already 
collaborating with doctors from Libya and Saudi Arabia through 
similar programs and looks forward to working with Iraqi 
professionals. 
 
--------------------- 
 
Hospital Construction 
 
--------------------- 
 
 
 
¶5. (SBU) MoH is considering an Iraqi request to design and 
construct hospitals, Warida said, and cautioned that this proposal 
is currently under review.  MoH has held preliminary conversations 
with Orascom Construction Industries, one of Egypt's largest firms, 
about participating in this program and plans to meet with other 
local companies to determine their interest.  Warida noted that if 
MoH elects to take part, it would focus on building hospitals with 
200 or more beds but was unclear as to where in Iraq it would work. 
He believed that the Iraqi government has offered an in-kind 
payment of oil for any hospital construction work, with no currency 
transfer to Egypt. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Comment: This is the first occasion MoH has collaborated 
with the Iraqi Health Ministry and is notable for Egypt's potential 
entry into Iraq to participate in the hospital construction plan. 
In previous meetings, El-Gabaly has expressed his desire to build a 
Cairo-based medical center of excellence - serving the Middle East 
 
and African countries - and this new partnership appears to be part 
of a broader plan to position Egypt as the regional focal point for 
health policies and programs. 
SCOBEY