JEDDAH, 18 May 2007 — Fighting diabetes was listed as top priority among a series of recommendations from the 63rd GCC health ministers meeting that was held in Geneva on Wednesday on the sidelines of the 60th Annual World Health Assembly, organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) that is based in Geneva.
GCC member states and Yemen signed a joint declaration on a 10-year executive Gulf plan (2008/2018) to fight diabetes and form a Supreme National Council for Control of Diabetes to tackle the illness under the supervision of a Gulf country. The plan will conform to WHO aims to decrease mortality rates by two percent each year. The ministers also called for the formation of a team of representatives from various health ministries in the region to follow up with the plan.
Among those attending the meeting was Kuwaiti Health Minister Dr. Masouma Al-Mubarak, who joined the GCC health ministers meeting for the first time. Al-Mubarak described the event as a “historic” one that positioned the issue of combating diabetes at the forefront of GCC health priorities.
Vocational health and the health of workers were also on a list of top issues discussed during the conference. “Those people need special health care that is different from other people, especially those who are exposed to pollution, noise and injuries while at work,” said Dr. Tawfik Khoja, director general of the executive board of the GCC Health Ministers’ Council.
The health ministers also highlighted the importance of teaching vocational health. Further to this the ministers chose the last week of April of each year as the Gulf Week for Vocational Health — this coincides with April 28, which is the World Day for Safety and Health at Work.
The ministers further agreed on a pact between WHO and the executive board of the GCC Health Ministers’ Council in relation to the world health survey. The GCC countries also agreed to update the board with regular reports on the process every two months, which would include details about the development of the survey and obstacles faced while conducting it.
The recommendations also included a proposal to make the Arabian Peninsula free from malaria. Health ministers thanked Abdul Rahman Al-Atiyya, secretary-general of the GCC, for the support and budget he has set to fight malaria in the GCC. They also congratulated the UAE Minister of Health Humaid Muhammad Al-Qattami for announcing his country to be free from malaria.
In addition, the declaration, among other items, also spoke of endeavors to support epidemiology research on diabetes and its economics as well as related risk factors and the burden of the disease on patients.
