KUWAIT: Islamic Organization for Medical Sciences (IOMS) President Dr Mohammad Al-Jarallah said health is a human right provided by Sharia and constitution, adding that (COVID-19) and other epidemics, wars and disasters have made health a priority to world policymakers. Dr Al-Jarallah told KUNA on World Health Day, which occurs on Friday, that health in Islam is of great importance and a blessing, because without it humans cannot perform their duties, adding that the 2023 World Health Days celebration takes the “Health for All” as a slogan.

He stressed the importance of having good health while living in a world of peace and progress. It is time that the world takes measures to fulfill its obligations towards universal health, effective health investments, developing health systems and the use of modern technologies to achieve the goals of sustainable development, noted Al-Jarallah. He stated that although health is a basic human right and everyone should have access to the health services they need, when and where they need them without financial problems, 30 percent of the world’s population is unable to obtain basic health services.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a number of goals to make “health for all” a reality, including raising investment rates in strong health systems and reducing health costs paid by patients, while advancing on achieving sustainable development goals with commitment to universal health coverage, Al-Jarallah indicated. He stressed the need to pay more attention to preventive medicine, promote public health, as well as looking into modern technology such as artificial intelligence, and enable nongovernmental organizations to participate in government-led planning, implementation and follow-up with the aim of achieving universal health coverage. - KUNA