As the 78th Gulf Health Ministers Council takes place in Riyadh this week, everyone is looking forward to ways to improve health care in the region. I am particularly interested in the proposal to unify health policy across Gulf countries, which is to be discussed during this years meeting. As an Occupational Therapy (OT) practitioner and researcher, I cannot help but get excited by this proposal. This will most certainly result in better delivery of our services, and increased quality of treatment in the Gulf countries.

If approved, the proposal would result in greater collaboration across our countries, and would also help OT departments in the Gulf look into what is working and what needs improvement together. One of the major challenges Occupational Therapists working in the region face, is to make our interventions culturally applicable. I can still remember a conversation I had with friend of mine who has a child with cerebral palsy, he mentioned that he really wants to visit Qatar but cannot because he cannot break his daughter’s two times a week therapy sessions.

On the other hand, what if a family from Oman who has a son with autism that has to have his weekly therapy sessions to control his sensory problems wanted to perform Umrah. In both scenarios, the new proposal would make sure that my friend and the family from Oman would not have any trouble providing their children with the best care, while the family is not home. This proposal will result in better access to treatment for Gulf citizens.

Muhammad O. Al-Heizan

University of Pittsburgh