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High-level panel discussion on health in Eastern Mediterranean Region explores ways to move from crisis to opportunity
28 May 2024, Geneva, Switzerland – A partnership event to highlight health challenges and opportunities and the WHO journey in the Eastern Mediterranean Region was held in Geneva on 25 May, ahead of the Seventy-seventh World Health Assembly. Hosted by the WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy and fellow senior...
WHO welcomes funding support from KSrelief for critical health response operations in Sudan, Syria, and Yemen
25 May 2024 – The World Health Organization (WHO) today signed funding agreements with the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) valued at USD 19.4 million to jointly address global health challenges including in emergency responses. The support will reinforce WHO operations and programmes in three countries namely Sudan, Syria,...
Address by Dr Hanan Balkhy Regional Director WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region to the tenth global partners meeting on nursing and midwifery
23 May 2024 Your Royal Highness Princess Muna Al Hussein, Dr Pamela Cipriano, President of the International Council of Nurses, Ms Sandra Oyarzo Torres, President of the International Confederation of Midwives, Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen, I am pleased to join you today. Nurses and midwives are dear to my heart and high on my agenda. They are...
International Day to End Obstetric Fistula: call for quality maternal health care for all
23 May 2024, Cairo, Egypt – Each year, globally, there are up to 100 000 new cases of obstetric fistula – a devastating but largely preventable health condition. Over 2 million girls and women worldwide are estimated to be living with untreated fistulas. In the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, numerous girls and women across several countries...
World Hypertension Day on 17 May 2024: Know your blood pressure, and control it!
16 May 2024 – Hypertension is a silent yet deadly public health problem. Today, on World Hypertension Day 2024, we remind all adults to get your blood pressure measured accurately and control it to live longer. Early detection and careful management of hypertension are vital. Hypertension is a leading risk factor for premature death and...
Statement on Syria by WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy
18 May 2024 – I recently returned from Syria, where my goal was to gain a better understanding of the situation, the needs, and the challenges facing our humanitarian work on the ground. I met with senior Syrian officials, key donors, and partners in Damascus. I also visited Homs, Hama, and Aleppo governorates to meet with local health...
Meet the heroes powering our emergency response: Dr Sahar Maklad, Regional Staff doctor, WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region
Episode 6 Dr Sahar Maklad Regional Staff doctor, WHO Eastern Mediterranean RegionI lead the medical team responsible for staff health and well-being across the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region. Joining the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean in 2016 marked a new chapter in my journey of humanitarian work. Today, this spans more...
On visit to Afghanistan, WHO Regional Director emphasizes support for health priorities and intercountry collaboration
12 May 2024, Kabul, Afghanistan – WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Hanan Balkhy recently wrapped up a 3-day visit to Kabul, Afghanistan, following her high-level mission to neighbouring Pakistan with the Chair of the Polio Oversight Board and partners from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). In Afghanistan, Dr Balkhy met...
Qatar and WHO prepare new Country Cooperation Strategy
9 May 2024, Doha, Qatar – Yesterday, in Doha, the Ministry of Public Health concluded a 2-day joint workshop with WHO on the Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS) 2024–2030. The workshop involved senior officials from the Ministry of Public Health, other relevant ministries and agencies of Qatar, and representatives of WHO, United Nations (UN)...
International days for nurses and midwives 2024
12 May 2024, Cairo, Egypt – Nurses and midwives make up more than half the health workforce in most countries of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region. Today, as we celebrate International Nurses Day 2024, we also reflect on the many challenges faced by nurses in the Region. In the past decade, the density of nurses and midwives has not grown in...
