Pakistani minister hails Iran's Health Reform Plan

The visiting Pakistani minister made the remarks during a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Qazizadeh Hashemi.

She said that Pakistan is also implementing such a health plan and will definitely make use of Iran's experiences in this regard.

Iran's plans in the field of controlling non-infectious diseases provide an area over which the two countries can cooperate, Afzal Tarar said.

Referring to trafficking of contaminated livestock and counterfeit medicine into Iran from the Pakistani soil, the minister said that the two countries have lengthy common borders which need to become safer by means of more advanced equipment.

'We have taken serious measures to combat the production of counterfeit medicine and have adopted tougher regulations in this regard,' she said.

In the meantime, the Iranian health minister underlined the need for more enhanced cooperation between Iran's Veterinary Organization and Pakistan's Health Minister.

Qazizadeh Hashemi proposed a joint committee to be formed between the ministries of agriculture of the two countries in the area of animal and agriculture products to prevent the transfer of diseases.

Referring to Iran's national plan to prevent the rise of non-infectious diseases, which he said has been hailed by World Health Organization as one of world top ten health plans, the minister said that Iran will spare no effort to help Pakistan to bring these diseases under control.

Pakistan Health Minister arrived in the Iranian capital at the head of a 14-member delegation on Friday.

During her one-week stay in Iran, the Pakistani minister is scheduled to visit medical and health centers in Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz.

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