The Director-General of Public Health at Iraq’s Ministry of Health, Dr. Riyad Abdul Ameer Al-Halfi, received the Egyptian delegation, headed by Dr. Abla El-Alfy, Egypt’s Deputy Minister of Health and Population, on Thursday, 4 December 2025. The meeting, held on the sidelines of the seventh session of the Arab Council for Population and Development in Baghdad, focused on expanding cooperation in the “Golden Thousand Days” initiative and strengthening primary healthcare and family development services through a life-course approach and the establishment of centers of excellence.

During the consultations, Dr. El-Alfy outlined Egypt’s strategy to close service gaps in maternal and child healthcare by providing free specialized services, reducing maternal and neonatal mortality rates, promoting natural childbirth, limiting unnecessary caesarean sections, and combating stunting, malnutrition, and anemia. She also highlighted the role of family counselling rooms in supporting exclusive breastfeeding and helping families in planning pregnancies with healthy spacing of 3–5 years. The Discussions further explored ways to improve demographic indicators, addressing population changes, and expand programs focused on maternal, newborn, and child health — particularly in promoting breastfeeding.