TEHRAN - Iranian Health Minister Bahram Einollahi and his Iraqi counterpart Salih Al-Hasnawi stressed the importance of cooperation to maintain the health of Arbaeen pilgrims.

In a telephone call on Sunday, Einollahi expressed his gratitude to the Iraqi government, the Ministry of Health, as well as health and medical forces, calling for improving the quality of health services and facilitating the access of pilgrims to the services, IRNA reported.

Fortunately, the necessary arrangements have been made in Iran to maintain the health of Arbaeen pilgrims, he added.

He went on to say that healthcare and emergency medical services forces who have been dispatched to border stations are fully ready to help people.

Referring to the occurrence of several road accidents in Iraq for Iranian pilgrims, Einollahi appreciated the cooperation of the Iraqi Ministry of Health in quickly transporting those injured back to the country.

Al-Hasnawi, for his part, said 15 to 22 million people travel to Iraq during the Arbaeen pilgrimage.

Unfortunately, several road accidents have so far occurred this year, and the Iraqi Ministry of Health in cooperation with the Iranian side has provided appropriate services to the injured, he added.

IRCS services 

The Iranian Red Crescent Society is offering round-the-clock medical services to pilgrims in the Iraqi holy city of Najaf.

The Arbaeen pilgrimage, which is one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, comes 40 days after Ashura, the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (AS), the third Imam of Shia Muslims, and the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Each year, a huge crowd of people flocks to Karbala, where the holy shrine of Imam Hussein (AS) is located, to perform mourning rituals. This year Arbaeen falls on September 6.

The IRCS organized the third international congress on health in Arbaeen in Tehran from August 2-4.

The three-day event aimed at reviewing the weaknesses and shortcomings of the health sector in the great Arbaeen pilgrimage in previous years and providing the necessary solutions.

The participants were mainly from Iraq, Lebanon, the United States, England, Pakistan, and Bahrain.

The event also aimed to strengthen inter-departmental coordination and synergy of service providers to reduce the obstacles in providing health services to the pilgrims.

Health cooperation                              

In December 2022, Einollahi and Al-Hasnawi discussed the promotion of health, medical and educational cooperation.

The two officials addressed the ways of professor exchange and Iraqi students’ use of Iranian medical experiences.

Al-Hasnawi said that a special working group, consisting of Iranian and Iraqi specialists, to promote medical cooperation is planned to be formed, and Iran’s medical experiences will be used in the treatment of rare and incurable diseases.

Emphasizing the need to expand medical cooperation between the two countries, he proposed to use Iranian medical equipment and supplies.

Einollahi also announced that the first international branch of Tehran University of Medical Sciences will open in Karbala.

A meeting was also held with the focus of holding training courses focused on the treatment of various diseases, including cancer, IRNA reported.

MT/MG