Sultanate of Oman chairs meeting on infection control in New York

Oman chairs meeting on infection prevention and control at UN

25 September 2024

The Sultanate of Oman chaired a meeting to discuss Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) in the health sector, as part of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Oman's Foreign Minister, Sayyid Badr Albusaidi, who chaired the meeting, highlighted in his speech the importance of international cooperation and strengthening partnerships between countries and global health institutions. He affirmed the Sultanate of Oman's commitment to supporting global efforts to ensure a healthy and safe future for coming generations.

The meeting aimed to engage leaders participating in the UN General Assembly's high-level meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and to advocate for integrated implementation of infection prevention and antimicrobial stewardship programmes. These are considered fast, cost-effective interventions for effectively controlling antimicrobial resistance both locally and globally.

The meeting also aimed to share successful country experiences related to establishing strong policy frameworks and systems for implementing, monitoring, and evaluating IPC and AMR programmes. It discussed how to utilise agreed national and global indicators and actionable goals to track progress and ensure accountability on these two priority areas in AMR action plans.

A scientific forum was held during the meeting, featuring contributions from Oman, the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Germany, Nigeria, and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The forum addressed various technical issues, including national experiences, global and regional trends in IPC and AMR indicators, cost-effectiveness of infection prevention, and establishing legal frameworks to advance the agenda.

This meeting underscores Oman's leading role in global initiatives aimed at promoting human health, achieving sustainable development goals, and developing healthcare systems.

Oman has made notable strides and established a strong international presence in recent years, participating in many key global health initiatives.

The Sultanate, represented by the Ministry of Health, is keen to support this international presence to contribute to the development of health systems, achieve sustainable development and steadily advance towards becoming one of the leading nations in healthcare.

The meeting was attended by Dr Ahmed bin Salem Al Mandhari, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Health for Health Planning and Regulation, along with the accompanying delegation. Ministers, heads of member state delegations, and key technical experts in the field also attended the event.

This is an unofficial English version of an Arabic report. To view the official Arabic text, click here.

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