Qatar Participates in Panel Discussion on Health in Eastern Mediterranean Region

The State of Qatar participated in a panel discussion organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean in Geneva under the title "From Crisis to Opportunity: Health in Eastern Mediterranean Region." HE Minister of Public Health Dr. Hanan Mohammed Al Kuwari represented the State of Qatar at the panel discussion. In her speech during the session, HE Dr. Hanan Mohammed Al Kuwari affirmed that the State of Qatar, under the wise leadership of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, attaches great importance to international cooperation and solidarity in helping countries, peoples, and communities suffering from humanitarian crises. Her Excellency noted the announcement by HH the Amir at the opening of the 5th United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC5) to provide a financial contribution totaling USD 60 million to support the development process in the LDCs. Her Excellency said that the current conflicts have caused enormous suffering to p eople, exacerbating the fragile health infrastructure in conflict-affected countries, and leaving thousands in urgent need of medical care and access to basic services. Her Excellency emphasized the need to prioritize rebuilding health systems in countries suffering from conflict and ensuring that they are fair, just, sustainable, and equipped to meet the needs of their populations now and in the near future. Her Excellency indicated that health is essential to advancing peace and reconciliation in the region as health knows no borders or obstacles, and it is a universal human right that transcends politics and ideology. By investing in health and enhancing cooperation, understanding, trust, and cooperation between countries can be strengthened and the foundations of lasting peace and stability can be laid. Her Excellency stressed the importance of coordination between member states to exchange lessons, innovative solutions, and experiences to deal with the ongoing threats of non-communicable diseases, ant imicrobial resistance, emerging diseases, and humanitarian crises. Her Excellency also affirmed the importance of countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region investing available resources and expertise, including the valuable contributions of youth, the health workforce, researchers, policy-makers, and communities as a whole. She noted that by harnessing the power of partnerships and investing in education, research, and development, progress in science and technology can be achieved, accelerating the achievement of sustainable development goals (SDGs) in the region and beyond. HE the Minister of Public Health called for adopting a bold vision for the future of health in the Eastern Mediterranean region, so that it is a vision characterized by flexibility, innovation, and equity, stressing that through collective action, adversities can be transformed into gifts and opportunities, and a path towards a healthier and more prosperous future for all can be charted. During the panel discussion, HE the Ministe r of Public Health reviewed some of the distinguished achievements in the State of Qatar, including innovation in health care, the health workforce, and the pharmaceutical industries. The panel discussion saw the participation of a number of senior officials and specialists in the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean region, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr. Hanan Balkhy. Source: Qatar News Agency