UAE, February 7, 2018 - The Ministry of Health and Prevention and Julphar Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries Manufacturers recently signed an agreement to reinforce the country’s medicine supplies allotted for emergencies, crises, and disasters in pursuant to Article 4 of the Cabinet Decision No. (39) of 2015.

H.E Dr. Mohammad Salim Al Olama, Undersecretary of the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention, and H.E. Dr. Amin Hussein Al Amiri, Assistant Undersecretary for the Ministry’s Public Health Policy and Licensing, attended the signing ceremony held at the Ministry's office in Dubai. H.E. Dr. Abdul Karim Abdullah Al Zarouni, Director of the Ministry’s Emergency, Crisis, and Disaster Operations Center, and Jerome Carle, Julphar’s General Manager, inked the agreement.

H.E. Dr. Al Olama reiterated that the Ministry’s partnership with Julphar is in pursuant to Article 4 of the Cabinet Decision No. (39) of 2015 on the establishment of an emergency plan involving the country’s medical stocks. He said that collaborating with Julphar and other pharmaceutical companies will ensure sufficient medical supplies in the UAE during emergency situations. This is part of the mandate of the Ministry and other health authorities and is being prioritized as per the directives of the wise leadership.

H.E. also praised the company's commitment to support the strategic drug stockpile, which is one of the leading national companies that MOHAP is proud to cooperate with, and its success in enhancing the quality of the UAE national products in the pharmaceutical sector and its competition in international markets, saying that the move is a sovereign decision and one of the basic elements of modern governance in terms of the country’s ability to respond to the needs of the population especially during emergencies.  Most countries take this vital action as well, even those nations with vast pharmaceutical markets.

For his part, H.E. Dr. Al Zarouni said that the latest agreement strengthens the country’s medicine supplies with the current inventory consisting of a range of drugs, from those used to treat digestive, respiratory, and chronic diseases and infections to antibiotics. This partnership, H.E. said, helps guarantee sufficient stocks of medicines during emergencies in line with the Ministry’s effort to provide world-class patient and hospital services. Under the agreement, Julphar will meet the identified pharmaceutical needs for a year, including the supply of three months’ worth of ready-to-use and raw materials for drug manufacturing purposes.

Jerome Carle, General Manager at Julphar, said: “We are honored to enter into this important agreement with the Ministry. As one of the largest pharmaceutical manufacturers in the region, we have a duty to serve and lead by example and we are committed to positively impact our industry and the communities where we operate.”

Carle added: “Crisis preparedness is a top priority for us and we take it very seriously. It is vital that the people of the UAE have access to high-quality healthcare products especially in crisis situations and we will work in partnership with the Ministry to make that happen.”