The activities of the 64th conference of the GCC Council of Health Ministers are under way starting as of today Tuesday Feb 5, 2008. Convened under the banner: (Heart First), the conference combines a host of health experts who are expected to enrich the discussions aiming at boosting health services in the area.
The MOH official spokesman Dr. Khalid Al-Marghalani said MOH has accomplished all preparations for hosting the conference, which will be attended by a number of specialized bodies, including GCC, UNICEF, WHO, the Arab Council of Health Ministers, the British Royal College of Public Health, UNDP, AGFUND, and the International Agency for Controlling Blindness: Eastern Mediterranean Region.
He said the conference will investigate a number of topics aiming at upgrading health services and utilizing international developments for the benefit of the people of the area. "Cardiovascular diseases will dominate the discussions", he said. "It will constitute the basic theme of the conference this year in the same way as diabetes has been the basic theme of the last conference".
Other issues on the agenda according to Al-Marghalani include providing advanced health care to patients, expanded vaccination, avian flue, epidemic surveillance, drugs and medical equipment, unified procurement of medical supplies, blood transfusion services, drug pricing, pharmaceutical care, health insurance, and continuous medical education.
He said the Gulf Charter for Heart Health aims at curbing the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in the GCC countries. The charter covers the issues of heart health, heart diseases, brain strokes, and angiosclerosis.
The opening session of the conference will include the speech of His Highness the Minister of Health Dr. Hamad Al-Mane, the speech of His Highness the Kuwaiti Minister of Health Mr. Abdullah bin Abdul Rahman Al-Tawil, the speech of His Highness the GCC Secretary General Mr. Abdul Rahman bin Hamad Al-Atiyah, and the speech of the Director General of the Executive Office of the GCC Council of Health Ministers Dr. Tawfeeq Khoja.