Business and Investment Forum in Istanbul

site.btaHealth Minister Medjidiev: Healthcare Cannot Be Tied to Politics

BTA special correspondent Nora Cholakova, Metodi Yordanov

BTA Photo

Istanbul ,

26.01.2023 13:50

(BTA)

"I don't feel like a politician, I feel like a doctor mostly, as I have always upheld the belief that healthcare cannot be tied to politics and that is why it is very valuable for me that we are at this table," caretaker Health Minister Assen Medjidiev said Thursday at a round table about the opportunities for cooperation between Bulgaria and Turkiye in healthcare and balneology, held as part of the International Business and Investment Forum in Istanbul, organized by the InvestBulgaria Agency.

"Even when we talk about business in healthcare, we should not forget that this is done for the health of the people," said Medjidiev.

"Our main focus is what every country needs - exchange of personnel, giving young doctors the opportunity to exchange experience, to increase their qualifications. As a former president of the [Bulgarian] Medical Association, I have experience, I have visited almost all hospitals in Istanbul and I am impressed by their level of equipment and highly specialized staff at a relatively young age, the Minister said.

He pointed out that Bulgaria can provide very good conditions in terms of natural resources and facilities in the field of balneology and stressed that it is very important to ensure easier access of Turkish citizens to Bulgaria.

"We all know about the good pharmaceutical industry that is developing in Turkiye. Such cooperation would be very useful for both countries," Medjidiev added.

According to Bulgarian Ambassador to Turkiye Angel Cholakov, the need for more determination and more concreteness has emerged from all the meetings between representatives of Bulgaria and Turkiye so far.

"I think that in the last months and in the last day we have moved to a higher level of cooperation," Ambassador Cholakov said, stressing that there is a great potential for cooperation between the two countries.

/MY/