The Director-General of the Executive Board of GCC Health Ministers Council, Dr. Tawfiq bin Ahmad Khojah, said that their Excellency the Health Ministers of the Gulf Cooperating Council (GCC) will meet in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom of Humanity, on 15th - 16th Rabei II, 1436 H, corresponding to 4th - 5th February, 2015.
The meeting comes as part of the 40th session and 78th Conference of the GCC Health Ministers Council, to be held this year under the theme, “Measuring Health Systems’ Performance: the Way to Excellence”.
The conference theme comes in line with the comprehensive and vital concept of the World Health Organization (WHO), launched sequentially since 2000 in its health reports in the world, which include measuring health systems’ performance based on information and the continuously improved and updated ways as a regular feature in all WHO's annual reports relevant to health.
This methodology depends on the performance indicators of health systems to achieve three general objectives, i.e.; improvement of health, response to population aspiration and fairness of financial contributions.
To that end, the organization has set a framework consisting of a set of effective means to enable member countries to measure their performance and understand nature of factors affecting performance in a bid to improve it.
"This meeting comes in light of a new stage of the joint GCC action, and in line with the aspirations of the GCC citizens, who seek more development and achievement in the field of health services. It also comes in light of events, changes and international challenges imposing themselves on the ground and the era in which we are living. Thanks to Allah in the first place for providing us with such a GCC consensus and for helping us to stand as a one rank in the face of all these challenges, overcoming all difficulties and for leading us through the light of science and faith to the way of guidance," Dr. Khoja elaborated.
"I am also honored," Dr. Khoja continued, "to extend my great thanks and appreciation on my own behalf and on behalf of the Health Ministers Council of the GCC to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, as well as the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz, and the Deputy Crown Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz, May Allah protect them, for hosting this GCC meeting.
In addition, Dr. Khoja said, "I would like to express my great gratitude and appreciation to His Excellency the Minister of Health, Dr. Mohamed bin Ali Alhayaza, for his hospitality and welcoming attitude as well as the good preparation and excellence in organizing this significant Gulf conference."
He also mentioned the comprehensive advancement which the Kingdom witnesses, May Allah be praised, in all the aspects of life, on the top of which comes the blessed health advancement.
Within the same vein, Dr. Khoja pointed out that organizing such joint GCC meetings, which bring officials at the top levels and from various sectors together, are the best proof of the depth of joint cooperation and success of GCC experience towards achieving the desired goals and objectives, Allah willing.
Dr. Khoja noted, "The world in which we are living highlights the importance of linkage among nations, whereas the regional integration, particularly in the Gulf region, will help and support the objectives of the Arab and Islamic nation as it has become an even more important and urgent requirement in this historic period."
He added that the effective mobilization of resources and competencies for the building of a gulf region will boost the current status and will lead this Arab region to the prospects of balanced development, which benefits the sons of the region in particular and the Arabs in general.
Further, Dr. Khoja explained that the Health Ministers Council of the GCC as well as its Executive Board is reckoned one of the specialized GCC organizations, which work under the umbrella of the GCC. He added that this council has made many achievements and successes during its progressive march, which extended to about 40 years.
"During this period," Dr. Khoja continued, "the council achieved many goals, implemented a set of successful programs and met the aspirations of its ministers in achieving the highest levels in the health service domains, in addition to coordinating among GCC countries to solve issues of concern to the Gulf citizens. "It is really a unique example for the serious cooperation among the council's countries," he said.
Dr. Khoja went on saying that since its inception in 1401H (corresponding to 1981), the GCC has adopted the mechanism of the joint work among its countries and it will remain seeking to build such a fruitful work among its member states, adopting clear stands towards all the events and circumstances in the region.
Resuming his statement, Dr. Khoja said, "I would like to seize this opportunity to extend thanks and gratitude to His Excellency the Minister of Health, Dr. Mohamed bin Ali Alhayaza, who has spared no effort to show the conference in such a distinctive image."
He also expressed his thanks to His Excellency the Vice Minister for Health Affairs and Chairman of the Higher Supervisory Committee, Dr. Mansour bin Nasser Alhowasi, as well as the Deputy Chairman of the Higher Supervisory Committee and Head of the Organizing Committee, Dr. Ali Al-Qahtany, and all the committee members from the employee of the Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia.
"Similarly, I pray for our Almighty Allah, to bless our gathering and to always crown our efforts with success," Dr. Khoja concluded.