Wednesday, Apr 18, 2012

Gulf News

Sharjah: The emirate of Sharjah is set to upgrade its health system in the next few years and aims to register it with the World Health Organisation (WHO) as the first Health City in the Arab World.

Becoming a Health City does not only mean upgrading the emirates medical facilities, but also improving related issues that contribute to health, such as those in the field of education, town planning and the environment, said Dr Saqr Al Mualla, a representative of Musanada Group, which is responsible in supporting the health care system in Sharjah upon the directives of the Rulers Office. Being part of the World Health Cities international programme is a task being undertaken by the government, where it is required to identify the gaps in different governmental bodies.

It is easier to conduct the study in remote areas than the city of Sharjah because of the smaller population, and we have to record the easy access residents have to hospitals, as well as how educated parents are in providing vaccinations to their children and what they know about recycling, because there are a variety of factors that contribute to health, said Dr Al Mualla.

He pointed out that by registering as a Health City, the standard of the health system will be upgraded and that there will be more transparency between the government and private sector, in addition to the federal and local governments.

An official at WHO emphasised that Sharjah is the only city in the region among 23 countries who have registered to become a Health City. We are responsible in providing technical support and guidelines as to what criteria should be met. The Ministry of Health is not the only governmental body involved as we are also looking to environmental pollution and economic infrastructure as these issues also contribute to the communitys health, said Dr Samar Al Feky, technical officer of Community Based Initiative Department, Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean at WHO.

By Mariam M. Al Serkal, Staff Reporter

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