Luxembourg Pledges €10m to Support Mongolia's Health Sector

Luxembourg's development cooperation programme recently renewed its support for Mongolia's health sector.

Franz Fayot, Luxembourg's Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs and Minister of the Economy, paid a working visit to Mongolia from 26 to 30 July 2022.

The visit took place in the context of the celebration of the 20th anniversary of bilateral development cooperation relations between Luxembourg and Mongolia, which focus on strengthening cardiology services, in particular through the application of telemedicine solutions. An official ceremony took place in the presence of Dr Sereejav Enkhbold, Mongolia's Minister of Health, Bold Javkhlan, Mongolia's Minister of Finance, and Tumur-Ochir Tsedev-Orchir, Managing Director at Shastin Hospital, among others, in Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia.

The event was the opportunity for Ministers Fayot and Javkhlan to sign a new bilateral agreement with an indicative budget of €5 million for the next five years. This agreement provides for the continued strengthening of telemedicine and cardiovascular services in order to improve access to primary health services and contribute to the development of the Mongolian medical sector.

During the official ceremony, Minister Fayot, as well as Manuel Tonnar, Luxembourg's Director of Cooperation, and Dr Jean Beissel, former Director of Luxembourg's National Institute of Cardiac Surgery and Interventional Cardiology, were awarded the "Altangadas" order for their outstanding contributions to Mongolia's health sector. This is the highest honour of the Mongolian state for foreign citizens.

The trip also gave rise to a meeting with Dr Khalid Sharifi, Head of Office of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Mongolia, during which Minister Fayot signed a new agreement, granting a budget of €5 million over a five-year period to the UNFPA to promote the elimination of maternal and perinatal mortality.

Minister Fayot also had bilateral meetings with Mongolian Health Minister Sereejav Enkhbold and Deputy Foreign Minister Munkhjin Batsumber, during which the former highlighted the "excellent" development cooperation relations between Luxembourg and Mongolia and their positive results.

Field visits to several hospitals supported by Luxembourg's development cooperation programme in the province of Khuvsgul enabled Minister Fayot to witness the achievements of the health projects implemented in Mongolia, particularly in terms of telemedicine, maternal and neonatal health and cardiology.

Also on the agenda were interviews with Erdenetsogt Odbayar, Foreign Policy Advisor to the President of Mongolia, and Sharavdorj Iderbayasgalan, Governor of Khuvsgul province, as well as a meeting with representatives of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).