Rome – Selected participants attending the first day of the ECAM Council Forum sessions were honoured to visit to the Italian Ministry of Health.  This direct and restricted meeting was organised with the Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who applauded the ECAM Council initiative and welcomed the participants of the first session. Kamel Ghribi opened the sessions and passed the floor to Prime Minister Conte before handing over to Luigi Di Maio the Italian Foreign Minister followed by a contribution from Roberto Speranza, the Italian Minister of Health.  A final statement and summing up was given by Pierpaolo Sileri the Italian Deputy Minister of Health. 

 

Kamel Ghribi stated that even in the midst of a pandemic it is essential to provide opportunities for the exchange of ideas and sharing of experience concerning the differing approaches undertaken by Italian ministerial counterparts in Africa and the Middle East. He further stated that “Only together can we find a way to overcome the challenges and threats facing the health sector today and consequently the wellbeing of nations tomorrow.”

 

To conclude the first session, Health Ministers from Tunisia, Iraq, Egypt and Kenya shared their vision for a post-pandemic future; that is to say the vision of an accessible, people-centred and integrated health service coordinated by a multidisciplinary team of providers that delivers quality services designed to meet the multidimensional needs of different populations.

 

An important gala dinner followed the successful conclusion of the first day’s sessions during which Ambassadors and Ministers from Africa and the Middle East were given the opportunity to exchange thoughts and opinions with top entrepreneurs and health professionals from the host nation Italy. 

 

The Hon. Minister of the Interior Luciana Lamorgese was delighted to address the dinner and welcome the delegates together with author and journalist Bruno Vespa and Enas Mekkawy the Ambassador of the Arab League in Rome. A special greeting was given by the Governor of Rome Matteo Piantedosi and National Security Officials. 

 

The dinner was organised not only to welcome the prestigious guests but also to provide a further, informal opportunity for conversation, rapprochement and sharing of knowledge among participants.