(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) KUWAIT, Oct 3 (KUNA) -- Undersecretaries of the Ministries of Health in the GCC held on Friday, the preparatory meeting for the GCC Health Ministers' 11th Meeting, which will be hosted by Kuwait Saturday.
Kuwait's Ministry of Health Undersecretary, Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi, chaired the meeting and affirmed that Kuwait's hosting reflects its commitment to supporting joint cooperation within the GCC health sector.
Dr. Al-Mutairi explained that the meeting agenda includes several key topics, most notably the follow-up on the Supreme Council's resolutions concerning the GCC Anti-Narcotics Strategy (2025-2028), emphasizing its significance of protecting youth and communities.
The meeting will also discuss the issue of expatriate labor screening as a priority for safeguarding public health and enhancing preventive policies, and the protection of shared health borders, he said.
Additionally, he stated that the meeting will consider a proposal to establish the GCC Health Committee for Innovation and Digital Transformation under the umbrella of the General Secretariat.
The committee aims to develop unified standards and guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence in diagnosis, treatment, and the management of health data, he added.
For his part, Assistant Secretary-General for Economic and Development Affairs of the GCC Khalid Al-Sunaidi stressed that the health system in the GCC countries has witnessed significant development in recent years.
The total number of hospitals in the GCC countries has risen to more than 863, with an annual growth rate of 1.5 percent. In addition, over 3,400 health centers have been established, and approximately 594,000 GCC citizens have benefited from government medical services in member states outside their home countries, Al-Sunaidi added.
He expressed his sincere appreciation to Kuwait for its warm hospitality and excellent organization, and to Qatar for its distinguished efforts during its presidency of the previous session in supporting the progress of joint Gulf health cooperation. (end)
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