site.btaBulgaria and Israel Expand Cooperation in Maternal and Children’s Health

Bulgaria and Israel are expanding their cooperation in the field of healthcare, with a focus on maternal and children’s health, the Bulgarian Health Ministry said on Wednesday. The news followed a meeting earlier in the day between Health Minister Galya Kondeva and Israeli Ambassador to Bulgaria Yosef Levi Sfari, who signed a Plan for Cooperation in Maternal and Children’s Health.

Kondeva said the plan provides an excellent opportunity to share good practice and expertise. Aligned with an effective bilateral Agreement on Cooperation in Healthcare and Medicine, the plan is aimed to enlarge the scope of bilateral exchange in this domain and to pave the way for enhanced cooperation, thus creating possibilities for Bulgaria to strengthen its public health system through joint initiatives with Israel.

Ambassador Levi Sfari said that another cornerstone has been added to the cooperation between two friendly nations that share a longstanding, warm, people-to-people relationship. Israel will continue to seek ways to deepen its relations with Bulgaria, the diplomat vowed.

The new plan offers opportunities to train doctors, nurses, midwives and other medical staff in the area of women’s health and reproductive medicine and to share information on contemporary technologies and methods for disease diagnosis, treatment and prevention. The sides will exchange experts in maternal and children’s health in connection with the building of a national children’s hospital in Sofia. Young Bulgarian physicians will be offered short, targeted training courses in Israel.

Another objective is to promote scientific and academic activities in view of raising the quality of out-patient and in-patient health services. Israeli experience will help adapt innovative solutions to Bulgaria’s needs, particularly in rural areas, the press release said.