New york: The State of Qatar actively participated in a ministerial roundtable meeting focused on healthcare in the Gaza Strip. The meeting, hosted by the United Kingdom, took place on the sidelines of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Representing Qatar was HE Minister of Public Health Mansour bin Ibrahim Al Mahmoud.
According to Qatar News Agency, HE Al Mahmoud emphasized the severe humanitarian crisis that civilians in the Gaza Strip are enduring due to Israeli aggression, labeling these actions as war crimes. He stressed the urgency for the international community to take immediate action to halt the aggression, safeguard lives, and ensure the protection of health facilities and their personnel.
HE Al Mahmoud further highlighted Qatar's unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people, asserting the nation's commitment to assisting them amidst the ongoing conflict. He noted Qatar's continued efforts to seek a just solution, despite recent hostilities aimed at Qatar by Israel, which he described as an attempt to thwart peace initiatives.
During the roundtable, attendees heard poignant testimonies from doctors and healthcare workers who have been on the ground in the Gaza Strip, sharing their experiences of the dire situation.
The event was attended by notable figures including HE British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, HE Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and President of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) Dr. Younes Al-Khatib.
In addition to the roundtable, HE Minister of Public Health participated in several events related to the UN General Assembly session. These included 'One Vision, One Future: Rallying Global Momentum on NCDs for Generations to Come,' organized by Oman; 'The Political Economy of Implementing Primary Health Care: Key Policy Shifts,' organized by Kazakhstan; and 'A Global Movement to Improve Survival and Reduce Suffering for Children with Cancer and other Catastrophic Diseases,' jointly organized by Uzbekistan and the WHO, among other entities.