Dr. Hassan al-Bushra, representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, expressed his happiness to have been invited to attend the 78th Conference of the GCC Health Ministries Council, currently being held in Riyadh. The conference which is held regularly to bring together GCC health ministers, he added, greatly contributes to consolidating their efforts, tendencies and visions. This in turn helps take the crucial decisions. And, this also helps the WHO as it exists in a region with wide spectrum of poor, rich and medium income countries. Similarly, this helps reach a clear vision regarding unifying the decisions. That’s to say, instead of dealing with six or seven states, we deal with one opinion. And, this greatly helps in taking decisions.
Similarly, Dr. al-Bushra added that through sessions, we identified the extent of understanding and coordination among the Gulf Cooperation Council’s states. This helped us obtain enough information for purchasing the medicines and medical supplies, and also helped us in many issues related to the health services and systems. This in turn reduces the treatment costs, and, similarly, helps the states familiarize with the different best practices. In other words, each state is provided a window to the other states’ plans, how they made a success and the problems and challenges they face. And, this is instrumental to developing the health services. He further lauded the brotherly and family atmosphere the GCC health ministers’ meetings witness which augurs well. He also wished that all the Arab states take the same path in terms of unifying visions and decisions.
Within the same vein, Dr. al-Bushra lauded the Kingdom’s health services, and what it presents in the big occasions and challenge-facing, namely mass gathering medicine, such as the Hajj season every year. To that effect, he said “the Kingdom exerted every effort. I am not saying this by way of courtesy but it is a fact on real ground. Allah bestowed upon us the grace of living in this philanthropic country. Only those working in the medical field in the Kingdom are aware of such a fact. They are also familiar with the extent of meetings, preparations, spending and information exchange to make the Hajj season free of any MERS-CoV case, epidemics or diseases. And, the Kingdom greatly succeeded in that regard. Still, the measures take at the air, land sea entry points affirmed that the measures are not only plans made, but they are applied and simulated before they take effect. For example, the ambulances existing in the Holy Sites in big numbers outnumber the number of ambulances in many countries and not one state. Also, the health and therapeutic services delivered in the Holy Sites’ hospitals, which works around the clock, gives good impression about the size of capabilities and developments the Kingdom’s health services see. We should bear in mind that the challenges of the services provided for these gatherings in the Holy Sites for four or five days are not easily met.”
Dr. al-Bushra went on adding that the advanced health services provided during the Hajj season in the Kingdom made us invite a number of the WHO’ members for the third time; in order to have a look at the services provided by the Ministry of Health to the Hajj performers. We also made a report lauding these efforts, and submitted a number of suggestions which help develop them more.
In a similar fashion, Dr. al-Bushra added that “the first to pick up Ebola are those working in hospitals since they are the first to deal with the patients, blood and contaminated excretions. To put an end to that, special suits, training and diagnosis should be provided. And, we should get rid of all the items belonging to the patient to avoid the disease. These things do not pose any threat to the Kingdom as it possesses an appropriate health environment. This is opposed to the poor African countries which contributed to spreading the disease fast. As such, all the factors transmitting the Ebola in the Kingdom have been taken into consideration. And, the Kingdom is far from being afflicted with this epidemic as it provided big amounts of clothing and disinfectants, as well as the trained workforce. Therefore, the likelihood of the Kingdom getting afflicted with this virus remains so thin.
Speaking about Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) does not differ much from Ebola, except that former (corona) undergoes three main stages: firstly, exposing to the disease as a result of dealing with infected animals; secondly, infection in hospital between the patients and those working in the health field and thirdly, the disease spreading abroad. And, among the factors which made the cases increase in the infection picked in hospitals. However, when the disease staged a comeback last year, the Ministry of Health conducted special training to those working in the health field, and provided all the capabilities that hold back the disease and its spread within hospitals. And currently, the disease has been greatly limited. As regards the disease spread abroad, it no longer causes panic as before. Appropriate and intensive awareness campaigns should be mounted to avoid all the factors causing the infection. Also, what matters most is the early diagnosis to avoid it. Similarly, the role of hospitals in terms of the disease diagnosing, laboratory and therapeutic service and patients’ dealing has been considered, and many programs have been developed to that effect. Generally-speaking, the disease does not pose any threat as before when it first appeared, May Allah be praised.
Dr. Hassan al-Bushra, representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, expressed his happiness to have been invited to attend the 78th Conference of the GCC Health Ministries Council, currently being held in Riyadh. The conference which is held regularly to bring together GCC health ministers, he added, greatly contributes to consolidating their efforts, tendencies and visions. This in turn helps take the crucial decisions. And, this also helps the WHO as it exists in a region with wide spectrum of poor, rich and medium income countries. Similarly, this helps reach a clear vision regarding unifying the decisions. That’s to say, instead of dealing with six or seven states, we deal with one opinion. And, this greatly helps in taking decisions.
Similarly, Dr. al-Bushra added that through sessions, we identified the extent of understanding and coordination among the Gulf Cooperation Council’s states. This helped us obtain enough information for purchasing the medicines and medical supplies, and also helped us in many issues related to the health services and systems. This in turn reduces the treatment costs, and, similarly, helps the states familiarize with the different best practices. In other words, each state is provided a window to the other states’ plans, how they made a success and the problems and challenges they face. And, this is instrumental to developing the health services. He further lauded the brotherly and family atmosphere the GCC health ministers’ meetings witness which augurs well. He also wished that all the Arab states take the same path in terms of unifying visions and decisions.
Within the same vein, Dr. al-Bushra lauded the Kingdom’s health services, and what it presents in the big occasions and challenge-facing, namely mass gathering medicine, such as the Hajj season every year. To that effect, he said “the Kingdom exerted every effort. I am not saying this by way of courtesy but it is a fact on real ground. Allah bestowed upon us the grace of living in this philanthropic country. Only those working in the medical field in the Kingdom are aware of such a fact. They are also familiar with the extent of meetings, preparations, spending and information exchange to make the Hajj season free of any MERS-CoV case, epidemics or diseases. And, the Kingdom greatly succeeded in that regard. Still, the measures take at the air, land sea entry points affirmed that the measures are not only plans made, but they are applied and simulated before they take effect. For example, the ambulances existing in the Holy Sites in big numbers outnumber the number of ambulances in many countries and not one state. Also, the health and therapeutic services delivered in the Holy Sites’ hospitals, which works around the clock, gives good impression about the size of capabilities and developments the Kingdom’s health services see. We should bear in mind that the challenges of the services provided for these gatherings in the Holy Sites for four or five days are not easily met.”
Dr. al-Bushra went on adding that the advanced health services provided during the Hajj season in the Kingdom made us invite a number of the WHO’ members for the third time; in order to have a look at the services provided by the Ministry of Health to the Hajj performers. We also made a report lauding these efforts, and submitted a number of suggestions which help develop them more.
In a similar fashion, Dr. al-Bushra added that “the first to pick up Ebola are those working in hospitals since they are the first to deal with the patients, blood and contaminated excretions. To put an end to that, special suits, training and diagnosis should be provided. And, we should get rid of all the items belonging to the patient to avoid the disease. These things do not pose any threat to the Kingdom as it possesses an appropriate health environment. This is opposed to the poor African countries which contributed to spreading the disease fast. As such, all the factors transmitting the Ebola in the Kingdom have been taken into consideration. And, the Kingdom is far from being afflicted with this epidemic as it provided big amounts of clothing and disinfectants, as well as the trained workforce. Therefore, the likelihood of the Kingdom getting afflicted with this virus remains so thin.
Speaking about Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) does not differ much from Ebola, except that former (corona) undergoes three main stages: firstly, exposing to the disease as a result of dealing with infected animals; secondly, infection in hospital between the patients and those working in the health field and thirdly, the disease spreading abroad. And, among the factors which made the cases increase in the infection picked in hospitals. However, when the disease staged a comeback last year, the Ministry of Health conducted special training to those working in the health field, and provided all the capabilities that hold back the disease and its spread within hospitals. And currently, the disease has been greatly limited. As regards the disease spread abroad, it no longer causes panic as before. Appropriate and intensive awareness campaigns should be mounted to avoid all the factors causing the infection. Also, what matters most is the early diagnosis to avoid it. Similarly, the role of hospitals in terms of the disease diagnosing, laboratory and therapeutic service and patients’ dealing has been considered, and many programs have been developed to that effect. Generally-speaking, the disease does not pose any threat as before when it first appeared, May Allah be praised.