Damascus, (SANA)- Prime Minister Mohammad Naji Otri on Tuesday said health sector in the Arab countries is still in urgent need for continuous efforts to help provide better health care services.

Otri was speaking at the opening of the 27th Scientific Conference of the Arab Pharmacists Union titled "The Horizons and Future of Pharmaceutical Profession" held in Damascus under the patronage of President Bashar al-Assad.

The three-day Conference is jointly organized by the Arab Pharmacists Union (APU) and the Syrian Pharmacists Syndicate.

Otri called for Arab coordination to provide health sector with modern medical and industrial technologies and develop the teaching and training environment for people working in the medical, medicinal and pharmaceutical sectors to improve the quality of health services.

"The conference reflects one aspect of the Arab joint action and efforts seeking to organize the pharmacist profession and develop medicine industry," the Premier said.

The Syrian Government has been giving special attention to the health sector recently. This was reflected by the 10th five-year plan's strategy to help develop the sector and allow all citizens a balanced access to health services and utilities.

A plan was set up to establish a health center for each 10,000 citizens in the countryside and one for each 20,000 citizens in the city.

The number of health institutions and pharmaceutical constructions in Syria has increased after local, Arab and foreign investors were encouraged by the recently-issued laws and legislations to build developed medical cities and health centers.

Syrian Premier said "It is important to come out with future suggestions and proposals in terms of unifying pharmaceutical legislations … and committing to the ethics of the profession and its regulations."

Head of the APU Taher al-Shakhshir said the conference aims to upgrade the level of pharmacist profession in the Arab countries through work to apply the principle of good medicine and pharmaceutical industry.

He pointed out to the role of the Union in supporting Arab and international efforts intended to develop pharmacist profession out of belief of its significance at the humanitarian level.

President of the Syrian Pharmacists Syndicate Fawaz Zend al-Hadeed spoke of the importance of the topics on the Conference agenda including cooperation particularly in the issues of unified drug registration in the Arab countries and the impact of counterfeit medicines on health system and pharmaceutical industry.

Pharmacists and health care specialists from Lebanon, Jordan, Libya, Tunisia, Sudan, Egypt, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Palestine, Algeria, Yemen, Bahrain and Syria, in addition to specialist from England, Norway and France have gathered to share information and experiences in the field of pharmaceutical sector.

H.Said /al-Ibrahim /Zahra