Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization, opened WHO’s 152nd country office in Manama.
Health Minister Faeqa bint Saeed Al Saleh noted that the establishment of the WHO office will serve to enhance and strengthen the national capacity for proficient health service delivery and help in advancing the global health agenda as stated in the UN SDGs. It will also further enhance Bahrain’s position as a regional health policy leader.
The WHO office will be headed by Dr. Tasnim Atatrah, who recently presented her credentials to Minister Al Saleh, and assumed office at the start of June.
“Under the leadership of our WHO Representative, Dr. Tasnim Atatrah, the new country office will deliver strategic, technical, policy, and service delivery support to the government in its work to advance health and well-being nationally, regionally, and globally. One of our key goals in our work with the Ministry of Health will be to identify key areas where Bahrain can act as an incubator for best practices, as a regional capacity-building hub, and to expand its role in policy dialogue and health diplomacy” said Dr. Ghebreyesus.
The opening of the WHO office serves as the next step in Bahrain’s development as a global centre of health research, practice, and innovation.
Dr. Ghebreyesus will discuss the WHO office’s opening in a press conference and will comment on Bahrain’s preemptive and preventative measures to combat COVID-19 that he has witnessed first-hand during his visit.
