Tehran, Iran, June 5
By Kamyar Eghbalnejad - Trend:
The South African labor minister expressed willingness to boost cooperation with Iran in the areas of insurance and social security.
“We are seeking to establish a comprehensive social security system in Africa,” Nelisiwe Mildred Oliphant said during a recent meeting with Iranian Minister of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare Ali Rabiei, IRNA news agency reported on June 5.
The two ministers held talks on the sidelines of the 107th session of the International Labor Conference, underway in the Swiss city of Geneva.
The annual conference, taking place from May 28 to June 8, brings together the tripartite delegations from the organization’s 187 member states to consider a series of topics related to the world of work, placed on its agenda by the Governing Body of the International Labor Organization (ILO).
The African minister added that her country was willing to use Iran’s experience with respect to its inclusive health coverage program for the vulnerable and underprivileged.
In 2015, the Iranian health ministry implemented a program in order to extend medical insurance to all Iranians.
According to the Iran Health Insurance Organization, it is estimated that over 15 million people don’t have any kind of insurance program.
These people are mostly the underprivileged, who cannot afford insurance premiums. To make up for that, the most vulnerable will be the first to benefit from the administration’s new initiative.