Dr. Khalid Al-Marghalani, the Official Speaker of the Ministry of Health, said the GCC ministers of health have approved the strategic plan for ensuring malaria free Arabian Peninsula as well as the plan for activating the Gulf Fund for Combating Malaria (GFCM). The GCC Technical Committee for Malaria shall be the reference in technical issues only, but It will continue its work on the GCC level and its activities shall be financed by the GFCM.
He said the ministers in their 62nd conference held in Kuwait recommended the GCC member countries to provide the GCC Council for Combating Diabetes, prior to its meeting in March 2007, with detailed reports on epidemiology and prevention of diabetes. The reports are required for formulating an executive updated integrated plan to be raised to the Ministers of Health, who will raise it to the GCC heads of states for final approval. The Ministers of Health have also recommended convening a workshop including regional and international experts as well as officials and consultants from the GCC ministries of health for designing a unified community oriented Gulf study on the epidemiology, mortality rates, and economics of diabetes.
he added the ministers appreciated the efforts exerted by the Executive Office General Manager in establishing links with the World Bank, the International Union for Diabetes and King Faisal Specialized Hospital for convening the Diabetes Economics Conference, which is scheduled to be held in Riyadh on 26th and 27th/10/1428H, being 7th and 8th/11/2007.