Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Ghassan Hasbani participated in the “Arab Health” Exhibition and Congress in Dubai where he met with his Saudi counterpart H.E. Minister Toufic Rabiha, the UAE Health Minister H.E. Abdul Rahman Owais, the Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Director General of Health Ministry in Dubai H.E. Hamid Katami. During the congress, there have been exchanges of experience and expertise in the healthcare sector and discussion of the areas of collaboration.

Hasbani also met with a group of Lebanese working in the same sector who attended the international exhibition and was briefed the recent developments in the healthcare sector and listened to their ideas on how to enhance the healthcare sector in Lebanon. Health Minister acknowledged the efforts they exerted and the significant role the Lebanese are playing in this sector at the national and international levels, stressing his commitment to develop the healthcare sector in Lebanon and use technology to improve the services and reduce costs.

Hasbani also highlighted the importance of preserving the position of Lebanon – ranked first in the Arab World – in terms of the quality of healthcare services, in spite of the impact of the Syrian displacement on the infrastructure and services. Hasbani regretted that the assistance of the World Bank has been subject to delay for internal reasons and hoped to see progress in it for the benefit of all the Lebanese citizens and the improvement of the healthcare sector. In doing so, we can avoid the decline in this sector compared to the Arab countries, such as the decline we witnessed in other vital sectors due to the politicization of issues.

Deputy Prime Minister encouraged the Lebanese investors to maintain their confidence in Lebanon and its healthcare sector, and called on them to invest in the latest available techniques to help reduce the treatment cost, improve the same and promote the medical tourism in Lebanon.