The World Health Organization confirmed that the country has demonstrated exceptional efficiency in combating the pandemic

Expo.. The UAE is the second country in the region in spending on health

• During the press conference of the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean.

  Photography: Najeeb Mohamed

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Officials at the World Health Organization's Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean confirmed that the UAE has demonstrated great efficiency in dealing with the Corona pandemic (Covid-19).

And it has taken pioneering steps in developing the health system, by implementing various systems to protect individuals financially, at the level of the Emirates, allowing the provision of health care through a "very good package of spending", which qualified it to occupy the second place at the level of the countries of the region in spending on the health sector.

They added during a press conference held yesterday, on the sidelines of the celebration of the World Day of Universal Health Coverage at Expo 2020 Dubai, that the UAE was able, despite the circumstances of the Corona pandemic, to provide electronic and smart platforms that allow access to care and treatment without the need to visit hospitals or centers. health.

They stressed that the pandemic showed the great disparity in the ability of countries to confront the crisis.

The World Health Organization's Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Dr. Ahmed Al-Mandhari, said that the world's celebration of Universal Health Coverage Day reminds us of the importance of everyone's right to access quality health services, without suffering financial hardship.

He added that this year's campaign slogan is "Leave no one's health behind: invest in inclusive health systems."

This entails building stronger, safer and more equitable health systems that can deliver basic and quality health care services in a timely manner to everyone who needs them, despite the challenges posed by the “Covid-19” pandemic.

He added that the pandemic was a major setback, but it also highlighted the disparities in countries' capacities to respond to the crisis, and the urgent need for strong health systems in order to prepare for and respond to all emergencies.

He noted that as of March 2021, 43% of countries reported disruption to primary health care services, and 45% reported disruption to rehabilitative, palliative, and long-term care services. Surgical, emergency and critical life-saving interventions were affected in approximately one fifth of the countries. More than two thirds of countries reported stopping unnecessary surgeries. A wide range of other services also suffered, from immunization services to women's health, mental health and cancer care. In addition, many health workers lost due to the pandemic, which calls for action to ensure that this does not happen again, by providing them with the necessary preventive measures.

For his part, Director of the Comprehensive Health Coverage and Systems Department in the Regional Office, Dr. Awad Matariah, said that the region does not invest enough in health systems, as it has spent only about 2% of what the world spends on this sector, and spending varies from one country to another. The UAE and the Gulf states are very good examples in this regard, as they ranked second in the list of the countries that spend the most in the region.

He called for benefiting from these experiences to improve the quality of services in all countries of the region, especially in light of the worrying indicators related to the low spending on this important sector, so that there is a high percentage of people classified as those with catastrophic expenditures at 12.5%, or approximately 86 million people spend 10% of their income is on health, and about 17 million others are classified as owners of more catastrophic expenditures, spending 25% of their income on health, which means inability to meet other basic needs such as education and food.

He stressed that "this difficult reality necessitates providing financial protection systems for individuals from catastrophic expenses by providing them with health insurance coverage without the need to incur all these funds, through solid financing systems in which governments participate."

In addition, the Director of Programs Department in the Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Dr. Rana Al-Hajja, said that the World Health Organization is working to formulate cards suitable for all countries for universal health coverage, noting that the “Corona” pandemic does not mean ignoring other basic health needs, such as immunizing children. Women and other groups of society that need permanent health care, such as those with chronic diseases.

She added that the pandemic negatively affected the access to basic services for people, but with the absorption of the crisis and the relative stability of things, the situation improved, and the Gulf countries represented excellent examples of how to overcome these challenges, so the UAE, for example, took the initiative to provide smart platforms for treatment and health care without the need to visit medical centers. and hospitals.

Mutant "Omicron"

The Director of Programs Department at the Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, Dr. Rana Al-Hajja, said that the information currently available about the Omicron mutant is related to its rapid spread, but there are remarkable positive aspects, most notably that it does not lead to serious symptoms.

Also, some vaccines have proven ability to provide immunity against it, such as the Pfizer vaccine, according to a study conducted by the company that produced it recently, in coordination with the World Health Organization.

She added, during a press conference held yesterday, on the sidelines of the celebration of the World Day for Universal Health Coverage, that “vaccines may provide protection that alleviates the symptoms of the mutant, but it does not prevent infection with it, because the cause of the mutation is basically the transmission of the virus from one person to another, and it undergoes a genetic change that produces mutated, so preventive measures must be adhered to .. such as wearing a mask and social distancing in crowded places.”

She pointed out that the UAE is one of the highest countries in the world in the rate of vaccination, and this is consistent with its enjoyment of a solid health system, pointing to the hope that the rest of the countries in the region will improve, because only nine countries out of a total of 22 countries have achieved the minimum required, which is 40%, while there are still Six countries did not reach 10% as a result of political instability and other reasons, including the reluctance to request the vaccine from the beginning, but by the end of this year, large shipments of the vaccine will be secured through “Kovax” for the countries falling in the ranking.

• The Health Organization is working on the formulation of cards suitable for all countries for universal health coverage.

• The pandemic was a major setback, but it highlighted the disparity in the capabilities of countries to confront the crisis.