Dubai, 28 May 2019:  The Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) has inked, on May 27, an agreement with Novartis Middle East on the provision and recycling of the strategic drug stockpile in severe and emergency situations.

The agreement includes 31 life-saving and emergency drugs. The one-year-agreement aims at strengthening the pharmaceutical security and the appropriate response to emergency cases, with the formation of a joint committee to follow up the agreement implementation.
The signing ceremony was held at MOHAP’s headquarters in the presence of His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Salim Al Olama, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health and Prevention. 

The agreement was signed by Dr. Abdul Karim Abdullah Al Zarouni, Director of MoHAP’s Emergency, Crisis and Disaster Operations Center, and Dr. Mohamed Ezz El-Din, Country Manager, Novartis.

Also, the agreement was attended by Jihad Al Kaissi, Public Affairs Head, Novartis Middle East, and Ibrahim Aqeel, Director of Government Affairs, Novartis.
Dr. Al Zarouni underlined that the signing of this agreement comes within the context of reinforcing the strategic drug stockpile, in adherence to the Cabinet Resolution No. 39/ 2015. 

He added that this agreement will cover the needs of the drug stockpile for one year as per the global storage and recycling standards.
Al Zarouni further said: “The agreement comprises 31 drugs including medications for the treatment of immune system disease, cardiovascular disease, urinary tract, gynecology and obstetrics diseases, endocrine disease, blood and malnutrition disease, bone diseases, neurological disease, respiratory system, and other chronic diseases.

For his part, Dr. Mohamed Ezz El-Din emphasized Novartis’s keenness on the constant cooperation with MoHAP for the benefit of society health, through the provision of the drug stockpile which includes 31 essential drugs with a view to ensuring the provision of drugs in emergency and severe cases.