Ministry of Health marks National Reading Month
DUBAI: The Ministry of Health and Prevention ( MOHAP) has announced it is marking the National Reading Month 2020 with a series of events and activities across all its facilities to promote the culture of reading among the Emirati community and bring about a paradigm shift in building a generation of readers.
The ministry began the national reading month with inaugurating a book fair at Al Amal Psychiatric Hospital, showcasing more than 5000 books covering various cultural and scientific topics.
More than 400 employees of the ministry’s staff and patients are taking part in the event, which is witnessing interesting competitions including a “Picture for my Book”. The contest, which saw an impressive participation by visitors, aims to encourage community members to read and enrich their experience in the field of photography.
Dr. Hussein Abdul-rahman Al-rand, Assistant Undersecretary of Health Centers and Clinics Sector, Chairman of the Reading Committee, said: “The National Reading Month represents an important knowledge platform that supports sustainable community projects across the county, and helps develop a generation of readers in line with the leadership’s strategic vision. This national initiative comes as part of a series of innovative programs and activities developed to underpin the national strategic plan for reading, which aims to cultivate a lifetime reading habit in Emirati society by 2026,” .
“The Ministry of Health plays a significant role in supporting the country’s largest knowledge event by organizing reading activities and initiatives that contributes to promoting a culture of reading and turning it into a permanent habit for all segments of society,” added Al Rand.
He emphasised that the ministry, through its diverse activities, is looking forward to engaging all segments of the society in this national event, including employees, customers, patients, families and children. To that end, we are doing our best to provide a stimulating environment for reading so as to make it a basic pillar of innovation and research,” Al Rand further said.
For his part, Abdul Razzaq Amiri , Director of Al Amal Psychiatric and Kuwait Hospitals, highlighted the importance of the national reading month thanks to its initiatives and activities that attract a huge number of reading fans and motivate them to engage in various educational and knowledge events.
“This national initiative plays an instrumental role in achieving the targets of the National Reading Strategy and sustaining societal efforts to establish reading as an inherent habit among all members of society,” Amiri underlined.
He added that the book fair at Al Amal Psychiatric Hospital opens windows of knowledge for hospital employees, patients and customers, by putting on display more than 5000 books covering various medical fields.