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Jordan pharmacies to protest tax
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.
Jordan flu cases up
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 wins $1.1bn hospital deal
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.
Medical waste treatment company set for Sharjah
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.
Saudi shuts foreign school after swine flu outbreak
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
Sheikh Khalifa Medical City gets accreditation as chest pain centre
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.
Saudi ministry cancels hospital insurance programme
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.
GCC to expand healthcare spending
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.
Clover Clinic 80% complete
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 plans massive swine flu immunization
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.
AUB and CMC sign collaborative agreement
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.
Healthcare Solutions wins Qatar contract
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.
Jordan gov't urged to reconsider sales tax on medicines
The Jordan Pharmacists Association (JPhA) has called on the government to reconsider the sales tax imposed on pharmaceutical products, saying it will lead to a further increase in prices of medicine. The JPhA had threatened last week to close pharmacies across the kingdom for four hours on July 19, in an effort to have the controversial legislation scrapped in Parliament. 'Medicine is not a luxury item, it is a necessity that people cannot do without,' JPhA President Taher Shakhshir has said.
Standard Chartered launches AIDS education website
Standard Chartered bank has launched a global online campaign and website (www.vir.us) to raise awareness and provide education about HIV and AIDS to the 15-24 year old population. As part of the campaign, the bank has developed the 'Anti-HIVirus' software, delivered through a series of six entertaining, animated films that stealthily educate at the same time. The free software arms visitors with the knowledge to protect themselves against HIV and AIDS and helps to dispel the myths that drive stigma.
Glaxo buys Bristol-Myers MidEast operations
GlaxoSmithKline has acquired Bristol-Myers Squibb's branded generics drugs business in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Libya and Yemen for $23.2m, Reuters has reported. The new acquisition comprises a portfolio of 13 branded pharmaceuticals with annual sales of $11.8m in 2008. The cash deal follows the British drug maker's 2008 purchase of Bristol's mature medicines business in Egypt and underlines the strategy goal of Glaxo becoming a leading player in branded generics in developing countries.
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