100 health ministers to meet in Turkey for first time

Ministers from Africa, Europe, Latin America, and Asia will participate in the health summit in October that aims to increase awareness regarding organ transplant issues.

In this photo taken Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016, hospital staff and visitors pass by boards warning of the damage to human organs from smoking at the Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, one of the hospitals approved for organ transplants, in Beijing, China.
AP

In this photo taken Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016, hospital staff and visitors pass by boards warning of the damage to human organs from smoking at the Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, one of the hospitals approved for organ transplants, in Beijing, China.

Health ministers from 100 countries will meet in Turkey in October to discuss issues related to organ transplants, according to a health ministry official.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Alper Cihan, the General Director of Health Services in Turkey, said ministers from Africa, Europe, Latin America and Asia would participate in the summit.

“The summit specifically aims at increasing awareness of health ministers from developing countries about the international declarations regarding organ transplant and equipping them with technical support to make them efficient on this issue,” Cihan said.

He also said this was the first summit through an International Transplant Network (ITN) program that offers international technical assistance and collaboration opportunities on organ donation and transplantation.

He added that the summit would be a bridge to continuous relations and sustainable cooperation between the health ministers of participant countries.

The summit, which is organised by The Turkish Health Ministry and Turkish Transplant Foundation (TONV), will be held in Antalya's Kemer district, on October 18-19.

“The other aim of the summit is creating awareness on how to be proactive against crimes related to organ transplant,” Eyup Kahveci, the head of TONV, said. 

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