The Director General of the Executive Bureau of the GCC Council of Health Ministers Dr. Tawfeeq Khoja headed the 67th meeting of the Executive Board yesterday in Riyadh. The meeting has been attended by the MOH Undersecretary for Executive Affairs Dr. Mansour bin Nasser Al-Hawasi as well as all members of the Executive Board.
Dr. Khoja said the GCC countries have taken the necessary measures for controlling avian flue. A high committee has been formed from the representatives of the Ministries of Health, Municipality Affairs, and Agriculture, as well as the National Commission for Wild life Reservation. Another committee has emerged from this committee under the chairmanship of concerned director generals in the said ministries. The committee holds meetings whenever the need arises.
"Work is carried out in coordination among relative ministries and hypothetical plans are executed for confronting the disease", he said. "High committees in the different ministries are assigned for following the developments of the disease and training concerned employees".
He said the GCC states have secured the antagonistic drug and they are being briefed on the latest updates of the avian flue pandemic by WHO. They are also regularly informed of the cumulative cases of human infections and mortality rates. The member states also obtain relative periodicals issued by WHO.
The MOH Undersecretary for Executive Affairs Dr. Mansour bin Nasser Al-Hawasi reviewed with conferees the issue of the Health Research Fund and its financial status.
A number of other important topics are also on the agenda, including technical and organizational topics, drugs and medical equipment, administrative affairs, vocational health, international health survey, smoking hazards, organ transplantation, blood transfusion, widened immunization, avian flue, diabetes and non contagious diseases, health care quality, patient safety, the UAE declaration on health facilities, primary health care, cardiovascular diseases, proof based medicine, cancer registration and combating, psychological health, health information and awareness, school health, malaria free Arabian Peninsula, immigrant manpower, nursing services, and the Council of Nursing Specialties.
Dr. Khoja said the meeting will discuss also the arrangements for convening the 64th conference of the GCC Council of Health Ministries, which will be hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the end of Muharram 1429, (February 2008).