The State of Qatar will participate in the meetings of the 72nd World Health Assembly, slated for May 20-28 in Geneva, under the theme "Universal health coverage, Leaving No-one Behind".

HE Minister of Public Health Dr. Hana Mohammed Al Kuwari will head Qatar's Delegation to the meetings.

On the sidelines of the World Health Assembly, the State of Qatar will organize a symposium on 'Quality of health care and patient safety in the face of emergencies and tribulations as a prerequisite for achieving universal health coverage' on Tuesday May 21st at the UN Palace in Geneva.

With the support of 17 countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) Secretariat, the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean and a number of non-governmental organizations, Qatar hopes that the symposium would succeed in highlighting this important global issue, as the latest World Health Organization report on universal health coverage has revealed that at least half of the world's population still lacks access to basic health services. The situation is worsening in countries experiencing conflict, war and natural disasters where health care systems are affected by increasing demand and scarcity of resources, which may adversely affect the quality and safety of health services, if any.

Through the symposium, the State of Qatar seeks to unify efforts to provide safer care to vulnerable populations by providing a platform for Member States, non-governmental organizations, decision-makers, leading experts and all relevant stakeholders to highlight the importance of this topic.

The seminar provides an opportunity for exchanging experiences of countries around the world and working together to advance current efforts to address this issue worldwide.

The initiative comes as affirmation of the commitment of the State of Qatar to its responsibilities towards humanity and strengthening of its regional and international partnerships, especially in the field of health.

Qatar will also participate in the meetings of the 52nd Ordinary Session of the Council of Arab Ministers of Health and its Executive Office at the Arab League premises in Geneva, which will be held on May, 19-20.

The State of Qatar will also participate in the meeting of health ministers of the Non-Aligned Movement on Tuesday, in addition to a number of events which will be held on the sidelines of the 72nd World Health Assembly.

The World Health Assembly is the decision-making body of the WHO. It is attended by delegations from all WHO Member States and focuses on a specific health agenda prepared by the Executive Board. he main functions of the World Health Assembly are to determine the policies of the Organization, appoint the Director-General, supervise financial policies, and review and approve the proposed programme budget. The Health Assembly is held annually in Geneva, Switzerland.

Source: QNA

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Binu Cherian

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