The delegation of the Ministry of Health (MOH), under the chairmanship of His Excellency the Saudi Minister of Health Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, which participates in the meeting of the WHO Sixtieth Session of the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Committee held in the Sultanate of Oman, has put forward programs to combat blindness, considering it a priority in the plans and programs of the region.
Dr. Al-Rabeeah focused on the importance of embedding such programs in the plans of the World Health Organization (WHO), pointing out that the sixty-sixth session of the World Health Assembly (WHA), which was held in Geneva during 20–28 May 2013, has culminated such efforts by approving a global action plan for the period 2014-2019; targeting protection against the possibly-prevented blindness.
In addition, the Saudi delegation demanded to know the latest data on human resources and available possibilities for healthcare of eyes at the national level, seeing it as an urgent need to implement the action plan.
On the other hand, the delegation has announced its support to the draft study carried out by the Prevention of Blindness Union (PBU), a non-profit association registered in Switzerland for the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean region which acts as a base and tributary for the development of health services in the field of ophthalmology, calling upon everyone to support the Union till it achieves success.
In addition, the delegation discussed trachoma and its complications, considering it one of the most important disorders in the region. The delegation revealed that the Eastern Mediterranean Region holds 12% of the trachoma patients worldwide, estimating the number of patients with this disease by about 4 million infected persons in the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region only.
The delegation also expressed confidence that most countries in the region will be free from this active disease, noting that this requires a scientific proof that can be obtained through conducting field surveys in the region’s countries, in collaboration with the World Health Organization. The delegation further highlighted that this step is necessary to officially announce eradication of trachoma in some countries of the region, as the global health sources still announce that the situation is still unknown in many countries.
In conclusion, the delegation called upon the member states to conduct field surveys as much as possible, and cooperate with the international bodies such as the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness, and the Prevention of Blindness Union (PBU) that have mapped the trachoma coalition to support surveys.