The Gulf Center for Disease Prevention and Control held in Riyadh the fourteenth meeting of the Supervisory Board of the Gulf Center for Disease Prevention and Control in the presence of representatives from member states. The meeting was opened by His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al Thani - Director of the Public Health Department at the Ministry of Public Health in the State of Qatar - Chairman of the meeting in its session. Today, announcing the start of the meeting.
The meeting discussed the mechanism for implementing and activating the basic programs of the Gulf Center, in addition to discussing the future goals and executive plans of the Centre. Dr. Bassi Pantinen - CEO of the Gulf Center for Disease Prevention and Control also provided a comprehensive update on the Centre’s activities and challenges, and Dr. Rasha Al-Fawaz - Director of the Department Public Health Programs and Policies at the Gulf Center for Prevention gave a detailed presentation on the “Burden of Disease in the Gulf” study, which is a comprehensive study aimed at understanding and addressing the basic health challenges in the region. Dr. Nayef Al-Harbi - Director of the Health Emergency Department at the Gulf Center for Prevention also presented a public health emergency preparedness plan. Dr. Fayza Al-Jabriya - Director of the Training and Capacity Building Department at the Gulf Center for Prevention also presented a detailed presentation on a needs survey for field epidemiology training programs, which seeks to enhance National capabilities in confronting health crises.
In conclusion, the members stressed the importance of regional cooperation in strengthening public health policies and developing health systems in the region, which aims to achieve greater integration in public health efforts at the level of the Gulf states. The members also stressed the urgent need to enhance communication and coordination between member states to ensure the achievement of common health goals, Emphasis was placed on supporting initiatives aimed at improving health and preventive services in the region.