Health minister, Saudi counterpart discuss enhancing cooperation, pilgrims' safety
The meeting discussed enhancing cooperation between the two countries in the health sector, in addition to the key efforts made to serve the health and safety of pilgrims.
The Minister of Public Health commended the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's significant efforts in serving the pilgrims, praising the level of organisation and comprehensive healthcare provided during the Hajj season.
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Qatar Tribune
02-07-2025
- Qatar Tribune
PHCC to host 6th International Primary Health Care Conference in Qatar
Tribune News Network Doha The Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) will host the 6th International Primary Health Care Conference (IPHCC) – Qatar 2025, from November 27 to 29, 2025, under the patronage of Minister of Public Health HE Mansoor bin Ebrahim Al Mahmoud,, the corporation has announced. This year's conference will be held under the theme: 'Inspiring Tomorrow: The Power of Collaboration in Primary Health Care'. The event will bring together around 1,000 participants, including distinguished speakers, healthcare professionals, influential policymakers, leading researchers, academics, students, and stakeholders from the Gulf region, the Arab world, and across the globe. Recognised as one of the most prestigious medical gatherings in the Middle East, IPHCC is expected to feature high-level participation and a wide range of discussions and presentations on key topics led by experts and specialists from various countries, alongside prominent speakers from Qatar. The conference aims to foster an environment that encourages creativity, innovation, and the exchange of knowledge in the field of primary health care. Dr. Mariam Ali Abdul Malik, managing director of PHCC and Chair of Conference Organizing Committee, said: 'We are pleased to host the 6th International Primary Health Care Conference in Qatar, which will bring together a diverse group of experts to collaborate, share knowledge, ideas, and visions that inspire development and innovation in the field of primary health care.' The organising committees have worked diligently to prepare for this major event, ensuring the highest standards of hospitality and event organisation that reflect the esteemed reputation of Qatar. The conference will cover a wide range of key topics presented through lectures and scientific discussions, offering opportunities for exchanging expertise and best medical practices. These topics include Translating Research into Primary Care Practice, Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies in Primary Health Care, Sustaining Quality and Safety in Primary Health Care System, Healthcare Ethics and Law, Interprofessional Integration and Collaboration, Preventative Care for All, Primary Health Care of Priority Population, Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Primary Health Care, as well as many other subjects. Conference participants will also have the opportunity to earn Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points. In addition, professionals and experts are encouraged to submit their scientific abstracts through the official conference website:
Al Jazeera
25-06-2025
- Al Jazeera
US to stop funding global vaccine alliance Gavi, health secretary says
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has announced that the United States will no longer contribute to Gavi, a global health programme that has vaccinated more than one billion of the world's poorest children. In a video that aired at a Gavi fundraising event in Brussels on Wednesday, Kennedy said the group had made questionable recommendations around COVID-19 vaccines. He also raised concerns about the diphtheria-tetanus-whole cell pertussis vaccine, known by the acronym DTPw, though he provided no evidence to support those fears. 'I call on Gavi today to re-earn the public trust and to justify the $8bn that America has provided in funding since 2001,' Kennedy said in the video. Kennedy added that Gavi should consider all available science before investing in vaccines. 'Until that happens, the United States won't contribute more,' he said. The details of the video were first reported by the publication Politico and later by the news outlet Reuters. Gavi said in a detailed statement that safety was one of its top priorities and that it acts in line with World Health Organization recommendations. The statement also indicated that Gavi has full confidence in the DTPw vaccine, which it credits with having helped to cut child mortality in half in the countries it supports since 2000. 'The DTPw vaccine has been administered to millions of children around the world for decades, and is estimated to have saved more than 40 million lives over the past 50 years,' the statement notes. The administration of US President Donald Trump has previously indicated that it planned to cut US funding for Gavi, representing around $300m annually, as part of a wider pullback from international aid. Advocacy groups called on the US to reverse its decision. 'Kennedy claims that Gavi ignored science are entirely false,' nonprofit consumer advocacy organisation Public Citizen wrote in a statement. 'Gavi's recommendations are grounded in global evidence and reviewed by independent experts. His suggestion otherwise fuels the same disinformation that has already led to deadly measles outbreaks and the resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases, including polio.' A longtime vaccine sceptic, Kennedy has upended the US medical establishment since taking office in February. He has raised questions about possible ties between autism and vaccines, though numerous studies have shown there is no link. Earlier this month, Kennedy fired all 17 members of the expert panel on vaccines at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), known as the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Created 60 years ago, the committee serves as an independent government body to review data and make recommendations about who should get vaccines. Those recommendations, in turn, can affect which vaccines health insurance plans may cover. Of Kennedy's initial eight replacement members, about half have advocated against vaccines. Kennedy's new vaccine advisers hold inaugural meeting The newly revamped committee met for the first time on Wednesday, under intense scrutiny from medical experts worried about Americans' access to lifesaving shots. But already, conflicts are starting to simmer in and around the panel. Ahead of the two-day gathering, government scientists prepared meeting materials calling vaccination 'the best protection' during pregnancy — and said most children hospitalised for COVID-19 over the past year were unvaccinated. That advice, however, conflicts with Kennedy's. The health secretary already announced COVID-19 vaccines will no longer be recommended for healthy children or pregnant women, and his new advisers are not scheduled to vote this week on whether they agree. COVID-19 remains a public health threat, resulting in 32,000 to 51,000 US deaths and more than 250,000 hospitalizations since last fall, according to the CDC. Kennedy's newly reconstituted panel also lost one of its eight members shortly before Wednesday's meeting. Michael Ross, a Virginia-based obstetrician and gynecologist, stepped down from the committee, bringing the panel's number to just seven. The Trump administration said Ross withdrew during a customary review of members' financial holdings. The meeting opened as the American Academy of Pediatrics announced that it will continue publishing its own vaccine schedule for children, but now will do so independently of the ACIP, calling it 'no longer a credible process'. ACIP's recommendations traditionally go to the director of the CDC. Historically, nearly all are accepted and then used by insurance companies in deciding what vaccines to cover. But the CDC currently has no director, so the committee's recommendations have been going to Kennedy, and he has yet to act on a couple of recommendations ACIP made in April. Separately, on Wednesday, Senate hearings began for Trump's nominee for CDC director, Susan Monarez. During the hearings, she said she has not seen evidence linking vaccines and autism and said she would look into the decision to cut Gavi funding. 'I believe the global health security preparedness is a critical and vital activity for the United States,' she said. 'I think that we need to continue to support promotion of utilisation of vaccines.'
Al Jazeera
09-06-2025
- Al Jazeera
Robert Kennedy Jr expels all 17 members of CDC vaccine panel
United States Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr has purged a 17-member panel at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that provides expertise on vaccines. Kennedy, who before taking a position in the administration of President Donald Trump was a vocal anti-vaccine activist, has said he will replace the panel with his own picks. 'Today, we are prioritising the restoration of public trust above any specific pro- or anti-vaccine agenda,' Kennedy said. 'The public must know that unbiased science – evaluated through a transparent process and insulated from conflicts of interest – guides the recommendations of our health agencies.' Kennedy's reorganisation of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is the latest move by the Trump administration to shake up US health practices, sometimes by pushing ideas that depart strongly from the existing scientific consensus on issues such as vaccinations and fluoride. 'That's a tragedy,' a former chief scientist of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Jesse Goodman, said of the firings. 'This is a highly professional group of scientists and physicians and others … It's the kind of political meddling that will reduce confidence rather than increase confidence.' The HHS said that all 17 members of the panel were selected during the administration of former President Joe Biden, and that keeping them on would have prevented Trump from choosing the majority of the panel's members until 2028. The department said that the ACIP will convene its next meeting on June 25-27. While the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves vaccinations for public use, the ACIP reviews data in public meetings before voting on whether to recommend a vaccine.
