H.E. Dr. Hilal Ali Al-Sabti, Minister of Health, chaired the delegation of the Sultanate of Oman at the 10th meeting of the Committee of the Ministers of Health of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the 87th meeting of the Council of Health Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council and Yemen, which took place today (Thursday) in Doha.
The sessions of the meeting were chaired by H.E. Dr. Hanan Mohammed Al-Kuwari, Minister of Public Health of Qatar, in the presence of H.E. Jassim Mohammed Al-Budaiwi, Secretary General of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf. In her opening speech, H.E. Dr. Hanan expressed her gratitude to H.E. Dr. Hilal Al-Sabti, Minister of Health, for his efforts during his presidency of the previous session and his active contribution to supporting joint health work in the Gulf region.
The meeting reviewed several key topics aimed at enhancing cooperation and integration within the health system among Gulf Cooperation Council countries. These topics included strengthening the unified procurement program for medicines, medical supplies, and devices, updating the relevant regulatory and oversight guidelines, launching unified procurement tenders through the GCC's unified platform, and urging member states to establish committees to develop national unified procurement programs.
Furthermore, the meeting discussed the programs and services provided by the Gulf Health Council and their development, including updates to the expatriate health check-up program and strengthening the “Wafd” program, which aims to enhance mechanisms for screening foreign workers to mitigate the risk of communicable diseases that pose a threat to public health. The necessity of reporting health-unfit cases was also emphasized.
The meeting recommended strengthening the Healthy Cities Program to be one of the main initiatives for the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, aiming to address non-communicable diseases and reduce their risks.
H.E. the Minister was accompanied at the meeting by H.E. Dr. Said Harib Al-Lamki, MOH Undersecretary for Health Affairs, and several officials.