- Title: SYRIA: Arab health ministers meet for conference in Damascus
- Date: 13th March 2009
- Summary: DAMASCUS, SYRIA (MARCH 12, 2009) (REUTERS) HEALTH MINISTER CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS SPEAKERS AT CONFERENCE SITTING UNDERNEATH SIGN READING (in Arabic): "33rd meeting for the Council of Arab health ministers" VARIOUS OF CONFERENCE JORDANIAN MINISTER OF HEALTH NAYEF AL-FAYEZ LISTENING TO CONFERENCE MORE OF OFFICIALS AT CONFERENCE SAUDI MINISTER OF HEALTH ABDULLAH BIN ABDUL-AZ
- Embargoed: 28th March 2009 12:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: International Relations,Health
- Reuters ID: LVAC3YBTGR1JKO0ZUAA4UO5NMW93
- Story Text: Arab health ministers meet in Damascus to discuss, amongst other things, ways to tackle the growing problem of Diabetes in the region.
Damascus hosted the 33rd conference for the Arab Council of Health Ministers on Thursday (March 12) as delegates said common ground was needed to tackle the growing problem of Diabetes in the region and also maintain promised support of healthcare to people in the war ravaged Gaza Strip.
Health ministers from various countries attended the conference to discuss steps to reduce cases of illnesses and diseases which are common in the region.
Egyptian health minister Hatem el-Gabali said Thursday's discussions centred primarily on what member states can do to fight Diabetes.
"Currently, there is focus on Diabetes because the cases of Diabetes in Arab countries is very high, and can be almost two or three times more in some countries than the world average and of course the effects of this illness are very dangerous so the member states should find early diagnosis or a vaccination against it," he said.
Diabetes is a condition that affects the Pancreas organ in the human body. The disorder causes dangerous fluctuations in the level of glucose in the blood.
The Deputy Secretary General for Social Affairs in the Arab League, Dr.
Sima Bouhouth, said ministers also pledged to continue supporting health services in the Gaza Strip after an Israeli military offensive in late December and early January left thousands wounded and the territory's infrastructure in ruins.
"We confirmed the importance of the Arabic Emergency Committee that was established at the Emergency Council of Arab Health Ministers that was held in Riyadh to specifically discuss Gaza and this committee met in Cairo weeks ago and put a plan and different concepts to deal with this issue in supporting the people in Gaza and the Arab league will continue to give this support," she said.
During an emergency meeting last January in Saudi Arabia, the Arab Council of Health Ministers, devised a plan to re-build the health sector in Gaza under the supervision of the Palestinian ministry of health by providing the sector with badly needed medical devices and medicine. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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