WHO collaborating centres’ meeting held in Muscat
The sultanate, represented by the Ministry of Health (MoH), last week hosted the fourth meeting of the World Health Organization's collaborating centres in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.
The meeting was held at the InterContinental Muscat and it was chaired by H E Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Obaid al Sa’eedi, Minister of Health. It was held in the presence of Dr Ahmed bin Salim al Mandhari, Word Health Organization (WHO) regional director for the Eastern Mediterranean.
H E Dr Sa’eedi, in his welcome speech, stressed the role the collaborating centres play in improving the health conditions of the regions’ countries.
He expressed his pleasure of designating Oman as a WHO collaborating centre in quality and patient safety, emphasising that the sultanate is aspiring to obtain designation in primary healthcare, nursing, and commu- nicable diseases.
The meeting was inaugurated by Dr Mandhari, who noted that it was the first time such a meeting had been held outside the premises of WHO’s Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean since it relocated to Cairo in 2000. He pointed out that the WHO collaborating centres are institutions designated by WHO’s director general to form part of an international collabo- rative network carrying out activities in support of the organisation’s programme of work at all levels, as well as developing and strengthening institutional capacity in countries and regions. They represent a highly valued mechanism of cooperation by virtue of which selected institutions are recognised by WHO, in order to support it in implementing its mandated work.
Dr Mandhari highlighted the objectives of the meeting and pointed out that in 2015 and 2016, the WHO Regional Office conducted performance assessment surveys of collaborating centres in the region, soliciting feedback from directors of the centres, as well as WHO’s own responsible officers.
The assessments revealed key challenges and gaps and identified recommended actions for both sides. The fourth meeting of all the WHO collaborating centres in the region was planned as part of the follow-up, to discuss gaps and challenges with the aim of improving collaboration among centres.