22 November 2023, Cairo, Egypt – The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean ran a 2-day capacity-building training for 6 countries to strengthen the safety and preparedness of health facilities to better respond to and manage emergencies and disasters. Participants from Afghanistan, Egypt, Islamic Republic of Iran, Oman, Pakistan, Syria...

22 November 2023 – Thank you for joining us today for our regional update on the health emergencies in the occupied Palestinian territory and Sudan.  Before I begin my remarks, I’d like to take a moment to remember Dima Alhaj, our young WHO colleague who was tragically killed yesterday when her parents’ home was bombed. Dima’s husband, 6-month-old baby boy...

Cairo/Geneva/Jerusalem, 21 November 2023 – With heavy hearts, WHO announces the death of one of our staff in Gaza, in the occupied Palestinian territory. Dima Abdullatif Mohammed Alhaj, 29 years old, had been with WHO since December 2019. She worked as a patient administrator at the Limb Reconstruction Centre, a critical part of the WHO Trauma...

21 November 2023 – With the world’s attention having turned to the horrifying situation in Gaza, we must remember that the Sudanese people continue to face suffering on a scale that is also catastrophic. The figures coming out of Sudan are staggering: nearly 25 million people need humanitarian aid and 11 million people need urgent health...

Indonesian Hospital, Gaza, 12 November 202320 November 2023 — WHO is appalled by the attack today on the Indonesian Hospital in North Gaza, which reportedly resulted in the killing of at least 12 persons including patients and their companions residing at the hospital. According to reports, tens of people were also injured in the attack,...

Episode 4 Dr Nahid Idris Salih Khalid: Officer in Charge, WHO operations hub, Gezira, Sudan5 December 2023  – One ordinary Saturday morning in Khartoum, Sudan, during the holy month of Ramadan, I was suddenly awoken by a deafening sound and the house shaking. From the roof, I saw the formidable sight of a fighter jet flying overhead and heavy...

On November 17, 2023, the world will mark three years of the global collaboration with survivors, leaders, and advocates towards the elimination of cervical cancer. This provides an opportunity to celebrate the global commitment and review progress on the pathway to elimination, aiming for a threshold of fewer than 4 women per 100 000...

15 November 2023 – Over the last 50 years, health systems in the Eastern Mediterranean Region have been transformed, leading to improved health outcomes. Among other factors, the ability to prevent and treat infection successfully and cost-effectively has made an immense contribution to this progress. Child deaths have more than halved-from an...

14 November 2023, Cairo, Egypt – World Diabetes Day is being marked across the globe today. As well as raise awareness of diabetes as a global public health issue, the event aims to highlight what must be done, collectively and individually, to enable access to better prevention, diagnosis and management of the condition. World Diabetes Day this year...

25 Oct 2023, Field visit to the very well-equipped central sterile services department (CSSD) at Zarqa Hospital, Jordan. The WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region is at a critical juncture to capitalize on the momentum from the COVID-19 response. Turning temporarily scaled-up capacity in countries and territories into permanent capacities, agendas and...