Egyptian Health Minister Hatem el-Gabali begins on Monday a three-day visit to Ethiopia where he will seek to bolster cooperation in the health field between the two countries.

The visit comes in the framework of a scheduled tour in the Nile Basin countries with the aim to strengthen the ongoing cooperation between Egypt and the Nile Basin countries in various fields, especially in the area of health.

The Egyptian Health Minister is due to meet his Ethiopian counterpart and other officials working in the health sector.

Hatem el-Gabali will inspect the activities of the fourth Egyptian medical convoy, which starts a week-long mission on Saturday in Ethiopia.

The 21-member convoy comprises i.e.17 doctors and 3 engineers specialized in the maintenance and repair of medical equipment .The convoy includes specialists in surgery, gynaecology and obstetrics at the request of the Ethiopian side, which needs this kind of medical specialities to meet the needs of patients there.

The Director General of Medical Convoys at the Health Ministry, Wael el-Halawani, said on Friday that Egypt had sent three medical convoys to Ethiopia during the past nine months for one week each.

The convoys had examined between 500 and 2000 cases per day in the Capital Addis Ababa and other parts of the country.

El-Halawani added that Egypt will send a medical convoy to Ethiopia every two months and will train Ethiopian doctors in Egypt in various medical specialities.

He noted that arrangements are being taken to send Egyptian medical convoys to other Nile basin countries and other sister African countries. --APA