RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s deputy minister of health for planning and development, Abdulaziz Al-Rumaih, held talks on Tuesday with the World Health Organization’s regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Dr. Hanan Balkhy.

Their meeting was part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the strategic partnership between the Kingdom’s Ministry of Health and the WHO, officials said, and to advance high-level dialogue on shared regional and global health priorities.

They reviewed the outcomes of the first Strategic Dialogue between Saudi Arabia and WHO, which took place in August 2024, and explored opportunities for enhanced cooperation in a number of areas, including regional and international health priorities, and the development of resilient and sustainable health systems.

They highlighted the importance of effective international partnerships in efforts to improve the quality of healthcare services, the Ministry of Health said.

They also discussed the ministry’s objectives for the expansion of health-investment opportunities and a strengthening of Saudi Arabia’s role in the global health arena, with the aim of reinforcing the Kingdom’s position as a key international health partner, and a contributor to the shaping of global health policies, the localization of the pharmaceuticals sector, and the transfer of technology, it added.

Balkhy’s official visit to the Kingdom will conclude on Wednesday.