"Public Health"
The Third International Conference on Public Health, which concluded its work in Cairo, came out with 25 recommendations that topped the Cairo Declaration of "Public Health". The participants in the conference unanimously agreed that public health is at the core of sustainable development plans and within the framework of the National Vision 2030, and therefore the strengthening of health systems, laws and programs public is vital to achieving the SDGs.
Professor Tawfiq Ahmed Khoja, Vice President of the Arab Society for Public Health and Vice President of the Conference, explained that through the dialogue sessions, the following recommendations were adopted by the conference participants:
1. Giving thanks and abundant gratitude to His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt - may God support him - and to his wise government represented by the Egyptian Ministry of Health, headed by His Excellency the Minister of Health and Population, Prof. Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, for sponsoring the holding of the World Arab Conference on Public Health.
2. The importance of raising to the League of Arab States and the World Health Organization for the Eastern Mediterranean towards the formation of a high-level committee (the Arab Higher Committee for Public Health), whose tasks would include preparing a road map to achieve the dimensions and objectives of health in all policies and comprehensive health coverage for all citizens and residents, including a proposal Legislations, regulations and laws and formulating the necessary strategies.
3. Strengthening communication networks between those agencies to exchange and transfer experiences and establish national houses of expertise in areas related to public health and achieving health in all policies and comprehensive health coverage.
4. Focusing on work priorities in the following public health dimensions: Pioneering and improving systems efficiency and performance towards working together: health in all policies, sustainable application of quality and patient safety concepts, improved quality control, equitable access to quality health services, rational use of resources, and provision of human cadres Qualified, balanced, well managed and motivated role in public health.
5. Requesting Arab ministries of health and specialized agencies to conduct comprehensive and accurate reviews of public health with its various components in order to identify the strengths, weaknesses, challenges and opportunities available to achieve health goals in all policies and universal health coverage.
6. The importance of public health authorities conducting periodic social health surveys to find out the practices of individuals, families and society with regard to public health issues in order to build health strategies, systems, programs and community interventions based on certain data and data.
7. The importance of building and strengthening the culture and dimensions of public health in all health facilities and sectors and the relevant authorities of government institutions and the private sector related to the axes of sustainable development, in a more efficient and effective manner.
8. Enhancing the essential role played by primary health care and its foundations and four dimensions in achieving fairness and ease of access to basic health services for all segments of society and achieving their comprehensiveness and community participation.
Professor Khoja added that the recommendations also included
9. Work on building primary health care capacities in the field of preparedness and response to emergencies and health crises within the comprehensive and integrated health system.
10. Work on activating the role of the constructive and purposeful national community partnership between all sectors, including the public and private sectors, segments of society and state institutions, by confirming and activating the pioneering role of public health in sustainable social development and to achieve comprehensive and integrated health care for healthy and sick alike.
11. Raising the readiness of the health sector and medical facilities to face health crises such as the spread of diseases, epidemics, crises and emergencies in general, and in particular the role of public health.
12. Health programs aimed at public awareness to improve the health and nutritional status of schools and university students should be implemented to focus on improving dietary habits and diet quality and quantity.
13. Focusing on youth creativity and placing youth with decision makers at one table and in a transparent discussion, and working to a positive attitude for adolescents and their parents regarding the healthy orientation of life through cooperation between higher education and the Ministry of Health.
14. Enhancing membership in the Arab Society for Public Health from all age groups, especially youth and adolescents, to disseminate the culture of public health and its role in protecting the health of individuals, families and communities within sustainable resilient health systems.
Professor Khoja indicated that the recommendations also included
15. Urging university educational institutions and the Commission for Arab Health Specialties to train and qualify health leaders at various levels at the central and peripheral levels in areas related to public health, and to education curricula and decisions to keep pace with development in areas related to public health in general.
16. Paying more attention to training and qualifying all health workers in all health and educational sectors on the concept of public health and including it in educational curricula at all levels and specializations, in the curricula of the faculties of medicine, pharmacy, nursing, faculties of health sciences and other related faculties, and to the local fellowship program. And the medical professional licensing exams for those who recruit for work or renew their license, in addition to their inclusion in the introductory article for practitioners attached to work.
17. That health leaders have a prominent role in making a courageous health political decision that supports financially and morally to activate, facilitate, follow-up, evaluate and correct the process of implementing the strategy and build national capacities through training and conducting solid research related to the health strategy in all policies.
18. Confirming the role of health leaders in promoting pioneering health leadership by following up and ing the most suitable health leaders with leadership, ethical and humane personal characteristics, high integrity, effective communication with everyone, working in a team spirit, and those with scientific and practical experience and competence and after considering leading the implementation of a broad and multi-directional strategy Relationships, partnerships, sectors and areas such as health strategy are manifolded in all policies.
19. Support and encourage the conduct of qualitative research dealing with systems, policies, programs and activities related to strengthening public health and allocating resources for it, and involving civil society organizations and all relevant parties in the early stages of this research, in which non-governmental organizations can play an effective role in facilitating communication and documenting Relationships between researchers and decision makers.
20. Enhancing the role of the private sector in achieving the goals of comprehensive health coverage through effective empowerment of the private sector in all health programs and activities, including health promotion, prevention and public health.
Professor Khoja concluded by saying: The participants also agreed on the following recommendations:
21. The need to search for innovative and creative ways, including information technology and social media, to support and enhance the role of service beneficiaries, raise health and knowledge awareness, exchange best practices to improve communication skills with the beneficiary of health and public health services, and the participation of all members of society as an effective element in developing performance, quality and outputs Health system and public health promotion.
22. Accelerate the issuance of the national public health law, so that the rights and duties are a participatory process that includes the beneficiary of the service and his family, and all segments of society and various state institutions, including the media and health workers, and it is inclusive of the healthy and the sick.
23. Emphasizing the importance of digital health in the age of digitization and as an important axis for developing health systems, public health dimensions and combating epidemic diseases.
24. Asking Arab countries to raise the percentage of spending on health from the national income, as well as attaching percentages of spending on public health and preventive health from the budgets of the health sector in general and the Ministry of Health.
25. Disseminate and disseminate the One Health approach, human health, animal health, plant health in an appropriate environment, and the cooperation of various sectors to achieve it, and work to reduce emissions from health facilities and veterinary farms, build sustainable farms, and promote and support awareness and environmentally friendly behaviors among members of society and workers in the health sector.
