Arab Health Ministers Endorse Jordan’s Health Initiatives at Geneva Meeting

Amman: The Council of Arab Ministers of Health approved three initiatives proposed by Jordan during its 60th regular session on Sunday in Geneva. This meeting preceded the 77th World Health Assembly, which begins Monday in the Swiss capital. The Ministry of Health announced that Jordan's approved initiatives include the creation of an Arab committee for school health, a visiting doctor system between Arab countries, and a training exchange system for medical professionals. Additionally, there will be efforts to develop Arab legislation for regulating health care in correctional institutions, ensuring inmates' health rights, and facilitating the exchange of information and best practices regarding inmate health. The Council also endorsed several initiatives from other member states. These initiatives focus on promoting health economics to identify key health priorities, creating an educational program, and developing a digital application to support reproductive health communication. Further approved measur es include bolstering health care system resilience in emergencies, planning for comprehensive health coverage during crises, and supporting the rights of the elderly through an Arab guiding law. Minister of Health Firas Hawari, who led the Jordanian delegation, invited Arab health ministers to the first Arab conference on the role of Arab immigrant health professionals in supporting health systems in Arab countries. This conference, organized by the Technical Secretariat of the Council, the Jordanian Ministry of Health, and the Arab Board of Health Specializations, will be held in Amman on October 19-20, 2024, under the patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah II. Additionally, the Council extended an invitation to the Fourth Ministerial Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance, scheduled to be hosted by Saudi Arabia in Jeddah in November 2024. The meeting, chaired by Iraq, covered various agenda items, including the health and humanitarian repercussions of the Israeli aggression against Palestine and the un ified speech that Minister Hawari will deliver on behalf of the Council at the World Health Assembly. During the session, the Council awarded the Arab Doctor Award for 2024 to a Palestinian doctor for his resilience amid the Israeli aggression on Gaza and a Sudanese doctor for his efforts during the ongoing events in Sudan. The Council also approved the celebration of Arab Health Day 2024 under the theme "Promoting the One Health Approach." Source: Jordan News Agency