DOHA: The Supreme Council of Health (SCH) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the prestigious Institut Pasteur in France to develop cooperation and research in the areas of infectious diseases and immunology.
Minister of Public Health H E Abdallah bin Khalid Al Qahtani and Professor Christian Brechot, Director-General of the institute, signed the MoU in the presence of French Ambassador to Qatar Eric Chevallier .
The agreement was developed with inputs from related sectors, including the Department of Public health, Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar Foundation and Qatar University.
Al Qahtani said the agreement will strengthen collaboration in health services by encouraging collaborative approach in education, training and research.
“We are looking for tangible results that benefit both parties as this is a five-year MoU.
“The SCH is proud of establishing an international networking with prominent institutes such as Institut Pasteur and its network that enables exploration of new horizons for advancement of knowledge on all levels.”
Prof. Brechot said the signing of the MoU came “at the very moment team leaders of the institute are gathering in Paris with the directors of Qatar Biomedical Research Institute and Qatar National Research Fund to define scientific cooperation consistent with the epidemiological reality of the region and the needs of the people of Qatar.”
“The institute is organising in March and June two training sessions, accessible not only to physicians but also to all medical staff to mark the urgency of the topics we are tackling together with the ministry, such as the MERS-Coronavirus and outbreak investigation.”
Chevallier said, “I am convinced that the MoU signed today between the ministry and Institut Pasteur, a recognised world leader institute in infectious diseases, based in Paris, will lead to synergistic actions in education, research and diagnosis of infectious disease, a topic of utmost importance for the population of Qatar.
“The MoU is intended to be the first step to further actions to be developed on the long term on investigation into infectious diseases and other health issues of importance for the region”.
Founded in 1887, the institute is an international research facility of excellence to advance science, medicine and public health.
It is a private, non-profit foundation with recognised charitable status entrusted with four core missions of public interest – research; education; public health; and valorisation of scientific research via technology transfer and industrial partnerships.
