DAMASCUS, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Syria's assistant health minister Ahmad Khleifawi has said that Syria has benefited from China's experience in fighting COVID-19.
Speaking to Xinhua in an interview, the Syrian official said that the Chinese experience in dealing with COVID-19 was so important that the Syrian government has benefited from it in dealing with the pandemic.
"We have benefited from what has been concluded in the Chinese experience and experiences in other countries as well as the recommendations from the World Health Organization," he said.
Khleifawi noted that there is "ongoing coordination" with China regarding ways to confront the COVID-19 cases in the war-torn country.
He mentioned several online video conferences were held between Chinese and Syrian doctors to exchange experiences and benefit from each other's experiences.
The cooperation aims to enable the Syrian side to get to know the opinions of the Chinese doctors and the Chinese experience in dealing with COVID-19, the assistant health minister said.
"For sure, these meetings have resulted in increasing the experience and knowledge of Syrian doctors in dealing with this disease," Khleifawi said.
He added that there is also coordination with the Chinese side in terms of aid that supports the Syrian health care system to be able to confront the pandemic.
"What has been so far implemented in the treatment centers using the current protocol has yielded positive results," he pointed out.
The Syrian official said that the health sector in Syria has been affected by the prolonged war and Western sanctions.
He said the medical institutions have been targeted as well as hospitals, emergency units, and medical teams.
"The health system in Syria needs a lot, particularly in light of the economic war waged against Syria such as the Western sanctions. So, any help could support this system," he said.
Khleifawi said any help would be a positive step to enhance the service of the medical sector.
Earlier this month, the Syrian Health Ministry received a new batch of Chinese medical equipment as part of the cooperation to fight the COVID-19 pandemic between the two countries.
Masks, overalls, and disinfectants were among the new batch of aid presented to the Syrian side by the Chinese embassy in Damascus.
On April 15, China donated another batch of COVID-19 test kits to Syria to help its fight against the virus.
Meanwhile, the Syrian official said that the spread of the COVID-19 virus is still under control in Syria.
The health ministry in Syria has so far recorded 177 COVID-19 infections, including 74 recoveries and six deaths.
"We have created a plan adopted nationally to deal with this virus to stop its spread, starting from measures taken at border crossings to measures taken inside institutions and health care centers to deal with suspected cases," Khleifawi said. Enditem
