MoH launches first remote therapy network

KUWAIT: Minister of Health Sheikh Dr Bassel Al-Sabah said Kuwait's achievements in implementing health cities initiative contributed to approving Yarmouk city as fist healthy city in Kuwait by World Health Organization (WHO), due to compliance with relevant standards. This came in Sheikh Dr Bassel Al-Sabah's speech yesterday during a WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region meeting in Kuwait, and on the sidelines of handing the accreditation certificate of 'Yarmouk health city.'

Sheikh Dr Bassel Al-Sabah appreciated the ministry's role to achieve this accreditation, stressing the importance of managing the health cities program within the ministry, government and state development plan work program. Meanwhile, Assistant Undersecretary for National Medical Services at the ministry, Dr Fatima Al-Najjar, said this accreditation is success for the ministry represented by the health cities office to achieve its goals, adding the ministry chose health cities initiative as one of the ministry's target for 2015-2020 development plan. Najjar underlined the ministry's interest in implementing the health cities initiative, boasting that Yarmouk was chosen as a health city.

Remote therapy

In other news, Sheikh Dr Bassel Al-Sabah launched on Saturday Kuwait's first internet-based remote therapy network for surgeons. The network materialized the keenness of Kuwait Association of Surgeons (KAS) on leveraging state-of-the-art systems and technologies in medical learning with a view to improving the performance of surgeon, the minister said in his inaugural speech to the KAS conference on remote therapy.

Sheikh Dr Bassel appreciated the efforts of the KAS board chair and members to share experience and build the capacity of the medical personnel in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. He reaffirmed support to the KAS initiatives for organizing the current conference and launching the remote therapy network, noting that they are key partners of the Ministry. "The Ministry continues planning and implementing programs of action to improve the healthcare system as part of the state plan for sustainable development and Kuwait Vision 2035," he pointed out. Sheikh Dr Bassel reiterated the need of upgrading the performance of surgeons and updating the healthcare policies to ensure the safety of patients.

Meanwhile, KAS Chair Sheikh Dr Salman Al-Sabah said the Association chose remote therapy as main theme of the current conference to highlight the importance of experience sharing in addressing the challenges facing the medical profession. "The accelerated development of modern technology put the onus on the Association to make better use of the hi-tech and provide quality service for patients," he said. Sheikh Dr Salman reaffirmed the commitment of KAS to implement the Ministry's programs and strategies for development and leverage the remote therapy system across the health facility countrywide. The new system will complement the comprehensive medical coverage, he said, noting that this initiative coincided with the inauguration of promising healthcare projects, including Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital, Al-Jahra Medical City and the new Amiri Hospital. - KUNA