His Excellency the Minister of Health, Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, is to lead the Saudi delegation participating in the 74th Regular Meeting of GCC Council of Health Ministers, which is to be held on Wednesday and Thursday, 9-10/1/2013 (corresponding to 27-28/2/1434) in Manama, Bahrain.
This was pointed out by the MOH official spokesman, Dr. Khalid bin Mohammad Marghalani, adding that the delegation comprises the MOH Deputy Minister for Health Affairs, Dr. Mansour Al-Howasi, the MOH Deputy Minister for public Health, Dr. Ziad Memish, the MOH Undersecretary of Supply and Engineering Affairs, Dr. Salah Al-Mazrou, the MOH Undersecretary of Planning and Health Economics, Dr. Mohammad Al-Yemeni, the Supervisor-General of the MOH International Relations, Dr. Afaf bint Semihan Al-Shammary, and Mr. Rashid Al-Rashid.
Dr. Marghalani went on adding that their Excellencies the Ministers of Health, are to discuss at the meeting a number of topics on the agenda, including upgrading the health systems, and combating non-communicable diseases, health care quality and patient safety, and complementary and alternative medicine, in addition to a proposed Gulf research on the culture of patient safety within the health facilities and institutions. Moreover, the meeting is to discuss the approval of Gulf specialized centers in the member states, an initiative to make the Arabia Peninsula free from Malaria, the issue of expats, and combating smoking, as well as reviewing a report on the achievements of the Unified Procurement and Central Pharmacotherapy Record, aside from presenting a technical abstract by Dr. Awad Mataria, Health Economics Advisor in the WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO).