Kuwait conducts training on advancing health-promoting malls across the GCC
In her opening remarks, Dr. Amal Al-Yahya, Director of the Healthy Cities Office, highlighted the course's focus on establishing standardized measurement tools and evaluation mechanisms. She emphasized the importance of developing the necessary skills and considerations for evaluators in promoting public health through healthy environments.
Dr. Al-Yahya explained that the Health-Promoting Shopping Centers and Malls Initiative, known as 'Muazaz,' represents a model for implementing the Healthy Cities Initiative's vision. The initiative aims to enhance public health by addressing social determinants of health and creating environments conducive to well-being.
The course features Kuwait's experience with the Muazaz initiative as a practical model, providing trainees with exposure to both office-based and on-site evaluations. Dr. Al-Yahya noted that the training is aligned with the unified Gulf guide endorsed by the Joint Gulf Committee for Healthy Cities.
She described the Muazaz initiative as a framework designed to encourage shopping malls to invest in health promotion. The framework has been approved by GCC health ministries and supports malls in enhancing health-friendly environments, making them eligible for official recognition as health-promoting centers.
Dr. Al-Yahya also stressed the importance of transforming shopping spaces into environments that promote healthy living, particularly by supporting vulnerable groups such as individuals with disabilities, infants, pregnant and nursing women, and the elderly.
Dr. Laila Al-Fuzaie, Director of the Healthy Mall Project at the Healthy Cities Office, echoed the initiative's significance in fostering public health and providing shoppers with a healthy and comfortable experience. She said Kuwait's development vision includes promoting community health beyond traditional healthcare services by building supportive environments that encourage healthy lifestyles.
Dr. Al-Fuzaie pointed out that the Health-Promoting Mall Initiative has demonstrated the potential for integrating public health into daily life through strategic partnerships. She called for its expansion to all shopping malls and the integration of technology in raising health awareness.
She also outlined the initiative's objectives, implementation standards, challenges faced, and key achievements — notably, the rise in health awareness among mall visitors.
In conjunction with the training, Kuwait's Ministry of Health hosted the 24th meeting of the Joint Gulf Committee for Healthy Cities on Monday. The committee reviewed progress on the Health-Promoting Malls Project and discussed advancing from national implementation to a unified Gulf-level initiative.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Kuwait Times
a day ago
- Kuwait Times
Zionists massacre starving Gazans
GAZA: The Al-Shaer family went to bed hungry at their home in Gaza City. A Zionist airstrike killed them in their sleep. The family – pregnant freelance journalist Walaa Al-Jaabari, her husband and their five children – were among more than 100 people killed in 24 hours of Zionist strikes or gunfire, according to health officials. Their corpses lay in white shrouds outside their bombed home on Wednesday with their names scribbled in pen. Blood seeped through the shrouds as they lay there, staining them red. 'This is my cousin. He was 10. We dug them out of the rubble,' Amr Al-Shaer, holding one of the bodies after retrieving it. Iman Al-Shaer, another relative who lives nearby, said the family hadn't eaten anything before the bombs came down. 'The children slept without food,' he said. Relatives said some neighbors were spared only because they had been out searching for food at the time of the strike. Ten more Palestinians died overnight from starvation, the Gaza health ministry said, bringing the total number of people who have starved to death to 111, most of them in recent weeks as a wave of hunger crashes on the Palestinian enclave. The World Health Organization said on Wednesday 21 children under the age of five were among those who died of malnutrition so far this year. It said it had been unable to deliver any food for nearly 80 days between March and May and that a resumption of food deliveries was still far below what is needed. Naeema, a 30-year-old Palestinian mother, carries her malnourished 2-year-old son Yazan as they stand in their damaged home in Al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, on July 23, 2025. - AFP In a statement on Wednesday, 111 organizations, including Mercy Corps, the Norwegian Refugee Council and Refugees International, said mass starvation was spreading even as tons of food, clean water and medical supplies sit untouched just outside Gaza, where aid groups are blocked from accessing them. The head of the World Health Organization also weighed in, saying that a 'large proportion of the population of Gaza is starving'. 'I don't know what you would call it other than mass starvation — and it's man-made,' Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters. The United Nations and aid groups trying to deliver food to Gaza say the Zionist entity, which controls everything that comes in and out, is choking delivery, and Zionist troops have shot hundreds of Palestinians dead close to aid collection points since May. 'We have a minimum set of requirements to be able to operate inside Gaza,' Ross Smith, the director of emergencies at the UN World Food Program, told Reuters. 'One of the most important things I want to emphasize is that we need to have no armed actors near our distribution points, near our convoys.' Zionist UN Ambassador Danny Danon told the Security Council on Wednesday that the Zionist entity will now grant only one-month visas to international staff from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The Zionist entity has since killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians in Gaza, reduced most of the territory to ruins and forced nearly the entire population to flee their homes multiple times. US Middle East peace envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to hold new ceasefire talks, travelling to Europe this week for meetings on the Gaza war and a range of other issues, a US official said on Tuesday. Zionist President Isaac Herzog told soldiers during a visit to Gaza on Wednesday that 'intensive negotiations' about returning captives held there were underway and he hoped that they would soon 'hear good news', according to a statement. A senior Palestinian official told Reuters Hamas might give mediators a response to the latest proposals in Doha later on Wednesday, on the condition that amendments be made to two major sticking points: Details on a Zionist military withdrawal, and on how to distribute aid during a truce. Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet includes far-right parties that oppose any agreement that ends without the total destruction of Hamas. 'The second I spot weakness in the prime minister and if I come to think, heaven forbid, that this is about to end with us surrendering instead of with Hamas's absolute surrender, I won't remain (in the government) for even a single day,' Finance Minister Belalel Smotrich told Army Radio. – Agencies
Arab Times
2 days ago
- Arab Times
Kuwait advances healthcare with global expertise and cutting-edge technology
KUWAIT CITY, July 24: Kuwait is pressing ahead with a wide-ranging transformation of its healthcare sector, with a focus on adopting global medical expertise, enhancing emergency response systems, and expanding digital and preventive care services, according to Ministry of Health Spokesperson Dr. Abdullah Al-Sanad. Speaking at a press conference hosted by the Government Communication Center, Dr. Al-Sanad outlined the ministry's efforts to elevate Kuwait's healthcare standards through a multi-faceted approach that includes specialized infrastructure, international collaboration, and a strong push for digitalization. At the core of this strategy is the establishment of specialized medical zones across Kuwait. Among the most significant projects is the new Al-Adan Hospital, comprising nine interconnected buildings aimed at delivering comprehensive services to citizens in the surrounding area. Similar integrated health zones have been established in Al-Ahmadi and Al-Sabah, designed to provide secondary and specialized care within easy geographic reach. New facilities such as the Mutlaa Emergency Center, Infectious Diseases Hospital, and Kuwait Cancer Control Center are also being launched, while the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department has been relocated from Al-Adan Hospital to the Maternity and Childhood Hospital, improving focus and care delivery. Among the notable advancements is the First Responder Project, introduced earlier this month. The initiative features 28 mobile medical units dedicated to delivering rapid response care in emergencies. In its inaugural week, the units responded to 70 cases, demonstrating their potential to strengthen Kuwait's emergency care framework. In a similar vein, the ministry has installed 20 Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) at Kuwait International Airport to improve outcomes for cardiac arrest victims. To ensure proper use, specialized training has been launched for airport staff in cooperation with relevant authorities. To strengthen domestic medical capacity, the ministry has hosted 140 visiting doctors from around the world, offering advanced treatments and knowledge exchange with Kuwaiti healthcare providers. This initiative is part of a broader effort to integrate international standards into Kuwait's medical system while training national cadres. In diagnostic services, a newly inaugurated MRI wing at Al-Razi Hospital has doubled both imaging equipment and patient throughput. Simultaneously, a new border medical center in Nuwaiseeb, along with 13 health centers across all Kuwaiti border crossings, have been launched to ensure accessible care for travelers and residents at key entry points. Kuwaiti emergency departments recorded 200,000 cases in January alone, reflecting the scale of services provided nationwide. Across the country, there are 117 primary healthcare centers, 30% of which operate 24/7. Additional facilities include 38 maternity clinics, 72 mental health clinics, 35 preventive health centers, 20 ophthalmology clinics, and 18 ENT clinics. In the first half of 2025, 86,860 emergency cases were handled, with 72,236 patients transported via ambulance. These included over 50,000 urgent and nearly 22,000 non-urgent cases, along with 5,068 traffic accident responses, 420 airlifts, and 35 medical evacuations. Dr. Al-Sanad noted a decline in road accidents following the implementation of the new traffic law in May, with 357 fewer reports over two months. The ministry is also accelerating its digital transformation. Through the 'Sahel' application, 23 health services have been made available, with 338,844 users benefiting during the first half of the year. Since October 2023, 3.9 million electronic patient visits have been recorded. This transition has eased pressure on health centers, reducing visits from 15.5 million in 2022 to 13.2 million in 2024. Preventive health services are expanding as well. Early breast cancer screening saw 4,275 applicants in the first half of 2025, up from 1,114 in 2023 and 8,141 in 2024, for a total of 13,530 screenings to date. Meanwhile, 872 bedridden patients have received care through the ministry's home visit program, with plans underway to launch similar services tailored to children. In conclusion, Dr. Al-Sanad emphasized the ministry's ongoing commitment to comprehensive and forward-looking healthcare reform. Through strategic partnerships, smart infrastructure, and digital innovation, Kuwait is steadily building a more responsive and inclusive national health system.
Arab Times
2 days ago
- Arab Times
Vicious Assault on Two Doctors in Kuwait
KUWAIT CITY, July 23: The legal representative of the Kuwait Medical Association, Attorney Elaf Al-Saleh, has strongly condemned the assault on two doctors by an individual as they were leaving their workplace after completing their duties. Al-Saleh described the attack as a flagrant violation of both legal and moral standards, emphasizing that it constitutes a full-fledged crime under Kuwaiti law. She stressed that such acts not only harm the doctors involved but also undermine the integrity and dignity of the healthcare sector as a whole. 'This assault is a direct affront to the principles of professional and workplace security, and stands in stark contrast to the ethical and humanitarian values that define any civilized society,' she said. Highlighting the gravity of the incident, Al-Saleh noted that what makes the attack even more egregious is that it targeted medical professionals who were simply fulfilling their sacred duty to save lives and relieve human suffering. She confirmed that all necessary legal actions—both criminal and civil—have been initiated against the perpetrator.
