Stronger Gulf Health Cooperation

Bahrain chaired the 103rd meeting of the Executive Board of the Gulf Health Council, held at the council’s headquarters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on August 8.

Dr. Lulwa Rashid Showaiter, Undersecretary at Bahrain’s Ministry of Health and a member of the Executive Board, chaired the current session. Dr. Samya Ali Bahram, Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health, also participated in the meeting.

The meeting discussed initiatives and decisions aimed at developing health services and strengthening pharmaceutical security across Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

Dr. Showaiter affirmed Bahrain’s support for joint Gulf efforts to develop the health sector and strengthen integration among GCC countries in addressing health challenges. She said such cooperation contributes to improving the efficiency of health systems and the quality of services.

She also highlighted the importance of the Gulf Unified Procurement Programme in improving spending efficiency, achieving pharmaceutical security and ensuring the sustainable supply of medicines and medical supplies.

The Executive Board reviewed the council’s performance report for the first half of 2026 and the budgets of the Gulf Health Council and the Gulf Centre for Disease Prevention for 2027.

Discussions also covered several projects, including the formation of a strategic stockpile committee, approval of unified procurement tenders and stronger cooperation in centralised pharmaceutical registration.

The board also adopted the Gulf guide for standardising export prices of pharmaceutical products, along with the council’s updated internal regulations.

The meeting also saw the launch of several programmes and projects, including the “Taawun 2.0” system, the Knowledge Platform, and specialised studies by the Gulf Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.