Jordan's Higher Council for the Affairs of People with Disabilities has set national accreditation standards for rehabilitation centres for the disabled to enhance specialized services provided to people with disabilities as well as develop the centres' educational environment and enhance diagnostic procedures, the Jordan Times has reported. The standards will be implemented in stages as HCAPD will provide training to workers and support rehabilitation centres to apply the standards.
Abu Dhabi-based United Eastern Medical (UEMedical) has inked an agreement with New York-based Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) to establish a regional Centre of Excellence for Orthopedics and Rheumatology in Abu Dhabi. HSS' areas of expertise include joint replacement, spine surgery, sports medicine, orthopedic trauma, hand surgery, foot and ankle surgery and rheumatology.
United Arab Emirates:
Sunday, July 19 - 2009 at 11:34
Saudi Chemical Co., a distributor of pharmaceutical drugs, has reported a 1.6% increase in Q2 profit, on higher sales in the kingdom, Bloomberg has reported. The company's net income advanced to SR63m from SR62m in the year-earlier period.
The Jordan Pharmacists Association (JPhA) has announced that it will hold a four-hour work stoppage on July 26, to protest the sales tax imposed on pharmaceutical products, the Jordan Times has reported. 'Medicine is not a luxury item. Taxing pharmaceuticals hurts citizens and their health,' JPhA President Taher Shakhshir has said.
Jordanian health authorities have confirmed a new H1N1 flu case, raising the total number of swine flu instances in the kingdom to 31, the Jordan Times has reported. The most recent case is an 11-year-old Jordanian who had recently arrived from the UK. The Health Ministry has said the boy arrived in Jordan on July 12 and was admitted to a hospital on July 13 after undergoing required medical tests.
Egypt's Arab Contractors has won a 304 million Kuwaiti dinar ($1.1bn) contract to build a 1,200-bed hospital in Kuwait, Egypt's Al Mal newspaper has reported. The 16-storey Jaber al-Ahmad al-Sabah hospital will be the largest in the Middle East and represents the biggest contract won by the company, the newspaper quoted Arab Contractors CEO Ibrahim Mahlab as saying.
The Sharjah Environment Co. has signed a partnership agreement with Green Planet to launch 'Wekaya', The Medical Waste Co. The new company will specialize in management of medical waste; from training and certification of employees at medical facilities to proper collection, treatment and disposal, through safe and environmentally responsible methods.
United Arab Emirates:
Wednesday, July 15 - 2009 at 09:37
The Saudi health ministry has closed down an international school in Riyadh after 20 students were diagnosed with swine flu, Khaleej Times has reported. A health ministry official has refused to identify the school, only saying that it served people from an East Asian country
The Cardiac Sciences Institute at Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Khalifa Medical City has been accredited by the Society of Chest Pain Centres as a cycle III Chest Pain Centre. The Society's Cycle III accreditation involves more extensive involvement in chest pain quality improvement projects, extensive staff education training in dealing with chest pain, higher staff credentials in cardiovascular diseases, and more outreach and community education about chest pain. SKMC is owned by Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) and managed by Cleveland Clinic.
United Arab Emirates:
Monday, July 13 - 2009 at 11:11
Saudi Arabia's Minister of Health has ordered the cancellation of the Cooperative Health Insurance Program at a number of the ministry's major hospitals, in order to make their services accessible to all citizens, the Saudi Gazette has reported. Hospitals affected by the decision include King Abdul Aziz Hospital and Tumour Centre in Jeddah, King Abdul Aziz Specialist Hospital in Taif, Ohud Hospital in Madina and Al-Eman Hospital in Riyadh, which are all in zones with private hospital access for persons with insurance, the minister has noted.
A review released by Saudi-based NCB Capital has extrapolated that overall healthcare expenditure in the Gulf is set to increase by more than 400% to reach $60bn in the coming 17 years. The report concluded that UAE and Qatar governments have taken initiatives to create world class medical infrastructure, while Saudi Arabia, due to its size faces logistical challenges in providing comprehensive primary healthcare services.
Kuwait-based Al Mazaya Holding Co. has announced that 80% of its first investment in the healthcare sector, the Clover Clinic has been completed. Clover Clinic is made up of 19 floors of 600 square metres each, along with additional clinics of 200, 300 and 600 square metres respectively. An additional seven-storey facility flanking the main building is specified for boutique clinic services, with 130 square metres allotted for each floor. The complex will also have several medical laboratories, an x-ray centre, a physical therapy centre, and a specialized pharmacy.
Kuwait has set up a massive program to vaccinate the country's three million plus population against swine flu by November of this year, Kuwait's Al Watan Daily has reported. The country's minister of health, Dr. Hilal Al-Sayer has endorsed a plan to distribute vaccines to health centers across the country, and vaccinating the chronically ill, the elderly and children first. The plan also includes the immunization of school children after resuming school.
The American University of Beirut Medical Center and Clemenceau Medical Center affiliated with Johns Hopkins International have signed a new collaborative agreement. The two institutions will team up on several levels, including the creation of centers of excellence, developing quality standards in healthcare, and collaborating on medical and educational activities.
UAE-based Healthcare Solutions has announced that the Ministry of Health in Qatar has awarded HCS a contract for the supply, installation, training and support of an HL7 interface engine to integrate their healthcare information system, PACS and Blood Analyzers, at the Medical Commission facility. Healthcare Solutions provides healthcare IT solutions in the GCC covering consulting, products, services and system integration.