By Joyce Mukucha
Turkey and Zimbabwe have decided to strengthen the health sector through a number of collaborations.
Speaking at the courtesy call on Dr David Parirenyatwa, the Minister of Health and Child Care, in Harare, the Turkish Ambassador Hakan Kivanc, said his country had a lot of areas for cooperation with Zimbabwe on strengthening the two nations’ relations.
“Turkey and Zimbabwe need to strengthen the co-existing relations and should start cooperating in the health sector which is crucial.
“We need to set up a legal framework to work with, and both ministries should show commitment in order to ensure that quality services in the health sector would be delivered. A memorandum of understanding should be signed between the two countries so as to pave way for the correct procedures to be followed when working together,” he said.
In his response Dr Parirenyatwa said he appreciated the visit by the Turkish Ambassador as this would pave a way in which the two health ministries would collaborate.
“This meeting enabled us to exchange views and find a way of real cooperation. We want help in the training of doctors. We hope we will get teachers for our medical schools from Turkey regardless of them being short or long-term teachers.
“We want to join venture and be helped in the infrastructural development. This includes building of hospitals and clinics in our country, Parirenyatwa said.
The Minister highlighted that there was need for a legal framework and the preliminary draft of Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries. He hopes that Zimbabwe will be able to improve the health sector through the help of Turkey.
Turkey is well known for its high level standard of drug and vaccine production and this will be advantageous to the Zimbabwean nation as students in different institutions will also acquire some knowledge in as much as production of medicine is concerned.