The agreement was signed by Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah and US Secretary for Health Services Kathleen Sebelius on the sidelines of the  63rd World Health Assembly which is being held in Geneva until Sunday.

The World Health Assembly, the annual gathering of 193 member states of the World Health Organization (WHO), began in Geneva on May 17 with the issue of counterfeit pharmaceutical products very much on the agenda and the involvement of the International Medical Products Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce (IMPACT) being affirmed by the world body, notwithstanding apprehension from some public interest groups.

Following the signing, Al-Rabeeah said that the agreement provided continuous joint programs between the two countries in various health sectors. The areas of the accord include exchange of experience and experts, infectious diseases, children's diseases and training health officials and medical and research activities.

Al-Rabeeah explained that due to US cooperation in the field of health affairs, the Kingdom had been successful in reducing infectious diseases and eradicating children's diseases. He added that the agreement would pave the way for Saudi doctors to get training in specialized fields that would be  advantageous to the Kingdom's residents and citizens .

The health minister said US institutions such as The Massachusetts Institute Technology (MIT), Harvard University  and Detroit University had shown interest in studying the Kingdom's health systems.

He also said that he would visit Detroit University shortly to deliver a lecture on his experiences in the separation of conjoined twins. So far, Al-Rabeeah has successfully separated 27 conjoined twins from the Kingdom and  other countries.

Al-Rabeeah also indicated that the Kingdom had successfully attained its target in eliminating polio and malaria. "We have also been successful in  taking preventive measures against chronic problems such as diabetes, hypertension and obesity," he said, adding that the anti-tobacco program undertaken by the Kingdom was in line with WHO requirements.

Sebellius said that the agreement was a continuation of the existing cooperation between the two countries. “We sent our health experts to study the control of infectious diseases during last Haj,” she said.

Under the joint program, the United States sent a team of experts from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She also said that a number of medical universities had shown interest in learning more about the Kingdom's successful health programs.

Others who attended the signing included Dr. Abdul Wahab Al-Attar, the Kingdom’s permanent representative to the United Nations Office in Geneva, Muhammad Al-Kosheim, undersecretary to the Ministry of Health for Planning and Development, and Ziad Al-Memish, deputy minister of health for preventive medicine.

During his stay in Geneva, Al-Rabeeah also met with his counterparts from Indonesia, the Philippines, the Maldives, Pakistan and Canada. He also had discussions with GCC health ministers and health ministers from OIC member countries on matters of mutual interest.