Bahrain steps forward with 'Healthy City' plans

But, what is a healthy city?
A "Healthy City" is where the living conditions such as: the physical environment, the social and economic conditions or status of people living in this city promote good health and good quality of life.

A healthy city is not one which has achieved a particular health status but, is conscious of health and striving to improve it. Thus any city can be a "healthy city", regardless of its current health status. What is required is a commitment to health and an organized structure to achieve it.

Hence the health authorities of Kingdom of Bahrain's aim to create a healthy environment for people to lead dignified lives and enjoy social, environmental and cultural activities in the districts they live in.

The Health Ministry of Bahrain organized a workshop on "Health city" where about 30 participants from different organizations and government sectors had attended.

The workshop was conducted by World Health Organisation (WHO) healthy cities expert Kund Matzon.

According to WHO a healthy city is: "one that is continually creating and improving those physical and social environments and expanding those community resources which enable people to mutually support each other in performing all the functions of life and in developing to their maximum potential".

Now that the Kingdom of Bahrain is preparing to turn its cities into health cities, we hope that other Arab countries and Middle East countries will follow their steps.