HRH Premier to address UN high-level health meetings

Bahrain will on Wednesday take part in the high-profile meeting of the United Nations General Assembly first-ever high-level meeting on tuberculosis (TB).

Bahrain will attend on Thursday the UN third High-level Meeting on the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs).

The two meetings, attended by Bahrain as part of its effective participation in UN meetings, are an opportunity for the Kingdom to highlight on the world stage its achievements accomplished in the health sector.

They are also an occasion to enhance Bahrain's participation in the world’s efforts to confront diseases and epidemics that pose a threat to the present and future of humanity.

In view of the contribution of the government to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals related to the control of non-communicable and noncommunicable diseases, the Ministry of Health has been selected for the United Nations Inter-Agency Task Force Award.

The award will be received during the third High-level Meeting in the presence of world leaders and heads of state and agencies and institutions concerned with the health sector.

His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the Prime Minister, will address the two high-level meetings. HRH’s speeches will be delivered on his behalf by the Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Mohammed bin Ibrahim Al Mutawa.

In his speeches, HRH the Premier will stresses Bahrain’s interest in enhancing international cooperation in the medical and health fields. HRH will also review Bahrain's efforts and plans to combat these diseases.

The third high-level meeting on non-communicable diseases (chronic) includes two plenary sessions; the first addresses health enhancement systems and the financing of prevention and control of non-communicable diseases with a view to achieving universal health coverage through the exchange of best practices based on evidence, scientific knowledge and lessons learned.

The second plenary session addresses opportunities and challenges arising from the involvement of governments, civil society and the private sector at the global, regional and national levels to promote multisectoral partnerships for the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases and the promotion of healthy lifestyles.

The high-level meeting on tuberculosis (TB) to be held under the theme “United to end tuberculosis: an urgent global response to a global epidemic” aims to accelerate efforts in ending TB and reach all affected people with prevention and care.

The participation of Bahrain in the two meetings provides an opportunity to demonstrate the interest of the government under the leadership of HRH Prince Khalifa who is keen to expand the development of health and medical facilities in both quantity and quality in order to ensure the highest standards of health and treatment services for citizens and residents.

Bahrain has been able, thanks to the directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, to achieve a qualitative leap in health and medical services and to deal with diseases and epidemics. It has succeeded in taking the lead in excellence, in proving its efficiency in promoting the health of the individual and society and in ensuring the provision of well-organised, integrated, fair, sustainable and affordable health services.

The government has been particularly interested in providing comprehensive health and medical care to all citizens and residents through a package of preventive and curative programmes and the expansion of the network of health services at all levels, including primary health care, secondary health care and clinical care.

The programmes and initiatives are within a strategy to raise the quality and efficiency of health services according to the latest international standards.

The health system in the Kingdom is based on the Government Action Plan, which includes priorities in upgrading health services. The government is moving ahead with the development of the healthcare sector.

Among the most important steps is the approval of the Health Improvement Strategy for 2016-2025, and which reflects Bahrain’s international commitment to the World Health Organization to achieve Goal 3.8 of the Sustainable Development Goals and universal health coverage.

The Health Improvement Strategy aims to achieve quality in the provision of health services, ensure their financing and sustainability, and provide the necessary human resources and infrastructure to ensure their governance so as to achieve the Government Action Plan and the Economic Vision 2030.

This will be done through the development of the existing health system to continue to provide integrated and sustainable high-quality health services using available optimal resources and thus be able to overcome current challenges.

These include rapid population growth with the resulting demographic situation requiring an increase in the disbursement of these services as well as changes in patterns of disease and increased rates of chronic non-communicable diseases and others.

The Health Improvement Strategy is based on several axes, including the establishment of an efficient and sustainable health system that gives the patient the freedom to choose his / her health service provider, adopt an integrated and sustainable health care approach, improve and sustain the quality and safety of health care services.

It also includes attracting qualified medical personnel, operating effective and robust health information and e-health systems and activating governance in a manner that defines the leadership roles of government health institutions.

Bahrain has succeeded in achieving all health-related Millennium Development Goals, having approved the new plan, “Transforming Our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” which consists of 17 objectives and 169 targets, achieving advanced levels.

The government works in accordance with an integrated system to upgrade the medical sector through dozens of initiatives and programmes aimed at developing and intensifying preventive health programmes and promoting healthy lifestyles among all population groups through national awareness programmes, the development of public health laboratories and the integration of health care services throughout the Kingdom.

The government has the largest share of the health sector funding in the Kingdom, with more than 82% of the total health expenditure. It has completed the National Health Insurance plan which aims to develop a comprehensive vision of the implementation of the programme.

This contributes to the establishment of the foundations of health insurance, which are based on raising the standards of health services and their delivery at a high level for all, and allowing patients to choose the service provider in addition to achieving sustainability in the provision of quality health services.