- Kingdom’s delegates at meeting of WHO’s Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean emphasize need for better regional coordination and preventive care
- Deputy Health Minister Nouf Alnumair emphasizes importance of exchanging expertise and strengthening partnerships to address region’s healthcare challenges
Updated 16 October 2026 01:01
CAIRO: Saudi Arabia called for stronger regional cooperation on health-related issues, and greater investment in prevention, public health and primary care, during a three-day World Health Organization meeting that concluded on Thursday in Cairo.
Health ministers and senior representatives from the 22 countries and territories in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region who gathered for the regional committee’s 73rd session discussed ways in which health systems could be strengthened amid protracted emergencies and diminishing resources.
Nouf Alnumair, Saudi Arabia’s deputy minister for international cooperation at the Ministry of Health, led the Kingdom’s delegation. She outlined healthcare reforms that have taken place under the Vision 2030 plan for national development, including efforts to enhance the country’s model of care, and improve the quality and efficiency of services.
She called for closer regional coordination in efforts to address shared health challenges, emphasizing in particular the importance of exchanging expertise and strengthening partnerships with the WHO and its member states to address common healthcare issues and improve health outcomes across the region.
The Saudi delegation also highlighted the Kingdom’s contributions to regional and international health initiatives and its experience in mass-gathering medicine, including the provision of care for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims.