Egyptian Health Minister Khaled Abdel Ghaffar met his Gambian counterpart, Ahmadu Lamin Samateh, on Sunday to discuss expanding bilateral health cooperation, with a focus on establishing Egypt’s first medical centre in Banjul — also the first Egyptian-run facility of its kind in West Africa — according to Egypt’s health ministry. It will also introduce in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) services to Gambia for the first time. The talks included plans to expand the centre’s services to cover oncology and dialysis, while the Egyptian minister instructed officials to assess the deployment of specialised medical teams to help train Gambian doctors, the statement said. Both sides also discussed cooperation in pharmaceuticals and medical supplies, addressing challenges related to drug registration fees despite progress in increasing the presence of Egyptian medicines in the Gambian market. The meeting further covered training and capacity-building initiatives, including medical convoys in various specialties — particularly cardiac surgery — and opportunities for Gambian medical professionals to receive training in Egypt in fields such as oncology, surgery, and cardiac and thoracic care.

Source: Daily News Egypt December 22, 2025 10:25 UTC