WHO honours PM as ‘World Leader’

His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa was declared as a ‘World Leader’ in the field of health by the World Health Organisation (WHO) during its 72nd World Health Assembly meeting held at the UN headquarters in Geneva. The honour also makes HRH Premier the first world leader to be honoured by the World Health Organisation, thanks to his achievements in sustainable development and the health sector in particular.

The honour was a tribute to His Royal Highness the Premier for his pioneering role and contributions to promoting the public health sector in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Minister of Health Faeqa bint Saeed Al Saleh received the shield on behalf of His Royal Highness the Premier from the WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Director-General of WHO, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, announced the honour in the presence of heads of states, governments and ministers of health from the organisation’s 194 member states. In a speech marking the occasion, delivered by the Minister of Health, His Royal Highness expressed sincere thanks and appreciation to the WHO Director-General for the honour which, he said, “Comes from a long-standing organisation with a noble humanitarian task.”

The Premier added that the honour is a tribute to the numerous achievements in the health sector, which is a cornerstone of the Kingdom’s sustainable development plans. “This recognition will act as an incentive for all of us in the Kingdom to improve healthcare services and make them more responsive to the growing needs of the population,” the Premier said.

For her part, the Health Minister described the honour, the first of its kind in the organisation’s history, as an important recognition of the Kingdom, thanks to HRH the premier for achieving the SDGs in health.