President of the Republic Receives the Director-General of WHO
Nouakchott
On Monday evening, His Excellency the President of the Republic, Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani, welcomed a World Health Organization (WHO) delegation led by its Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, at the Presidential Palace in Nouakchott. Following a highly productive meeting, Dr. Ghebreyesus expressed his delight at visiting Mauritania and commended the President on the country’s landmark achievements in expanding universal health coverage.
In particular, the WHO chief lauded Mauritania’s success in eradicating trachoma, as well as its strategic initiatives to extend health insurance to informal sector workers—a step that has dramatically broadened access to essential healthcare.
These milestones, he emphasized, underscore the government’s firm commitment to upgrading the national health sector. Turning to institutional cooperation, Dr. Ghebreyesus highlighted his earlier talks with the Minister of Health, which focused on scaling up partnerships in maternal health, oncology, and digital health initiatives.
During his visit to the National Center for Cardiology, the Director-General also praised its vital work in performing approximately 200 open-heart surgeries annually, effectively allowing Mauritanian patients to receive life-saving care locally rather than traveling abroad.
The UN official concluded by emphasizing the World Health Organization’s readiness to continue cooperating with and supporting Mauritania.
The meeting was attended by the Minister in charge of the Cabinet of the President, Mr. Nani Ould Chrougha; the Minister of Health, Mr. Tidjani Thiam; and Mr. Sidi Mohamed Ould Ghaber, Advisor at the Presidency of the Republic.