Under the patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, May Allah protect him, 15 Health Ministers from the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (CCASG), USA, France, Cuba, Canada, Turkey, Malaysia, Pakistan, Indonesia and South Korea, are to participate in the Second World Conference on Mass Gathering Medicine to be held next Saturday in Riyadh.
The Conference will be attended by high-level organizations and global and regional institutions, with the participation of the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States (LAS), the GCC Secretary-General, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), the Regional Director of the WHO's Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, members of the International Advisory Board of the Saudi Ministry of Health (MOH), and a number of experts and scientists from different countries all over the world.
On the other hand, the conference committees carried on their activities so early to show the conference in such a manner worthy of the standing of the Kingdom and its excellence in the organization of such global conferences. The conference will continue for three days over the period from 21-23/9/2013 (corresponding to 15-17/11/1434H), aiming to overview the scientific and practical experiments, that were previously handled in similar circumstances, in such a manner promoting more effective health procedures, being taken to deal with the mass gatherings and crowds during seasons of Umrah and pilgrimage.
For his part, the Deputy Minister for Supply and Engineering Affairs, Dr. Salah Al-Mazrou', has considered the gracious patronage of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to the Second World Conference on Mass Gathering Medicine as a proof for the care provided by the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and His Royal Highness the Second Deputy Prime Minister, May Allah protect them, to the health sector, its events and its vital activities; in an endeavor to preserve the health and safety of the people of this beloved country.
Within the same vein, Dr. Al-Mazrou' has pointed out that the conference is an opportunity to review the experience of the Kingdom in the Hajj season; describing it as a unique experience, as the Kingdom manages the affairs of more than two million pilgrims within a limited geographic and time scope, the matter making it as a leading example.
Furthermore, Dr. Al-Mazrou' added that the conference is also an opportunity to take advantage of the international experts and specialists in the international organizations and the Western countries, and to allow the exchange of experiences, contributing to the development of the health programs in this vital area.
It worth mentioning that the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, May Allah protect him, had patronized the First World Conference on the Impact of Mass Gathering on the Public Health, organized over the period from 15 to 17/11/1433H (corresponding to 23–25/10/2010) in Jeddah. It was attended by more than 500 experts and 30 speakers and specialists from various countries around the world; that is to be added to experts from the WHO and Arab and Gulf organizations.
Moreover, this conference has recommended establishing an international reference body in the Saudi Arabia to be specialized in the health of mass gathering and crowds. In addition, this body will be responsible for the tasks of classification and definition of terms, functions and activities of mass gathering health, as well as spreading of the culture, programs and systems of the mass gathering health based on data as well as the considerable and certain research outputs.