AME Info, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, healthcare briefs

Source: AME Info, Abu Dhabi, United Arab EmiratesAug.儲存倉 29--SAUDI REPORTS 42ND MERS-RELATED FATALITY: Saudi health authorities have said a Saudi man has died of the coronavirus MERS, bringing the kingdom's death toll from the Sars-like virus to 42, AFP has reported. The 38-year-old man who died in the eastern city of Hafr Al Baten had been "suffering from a severe lung infection", the health ministry said.NEW MERS INFECTION ANNOUNCED IN QATAR : Qatar has announced the second confirmed case in a week of the MERS coronavirus, with a 29-year-old man infected and in intensive care, AFP has reported. The Qatari patient, who suffers from asthma and has been in contact with another patient infected with MERS, is "in a critical condition and is under intensive care," the Supreme Health Council (SCH) said.MAKKAH TO HAVE SR560M NEW HOSPITAL: The Saudi health ministry has allocated SR560m for the construction of a 300-bed public hospital in Makkah's Sharayeh neighbourhood, Saudi Gazette has reported. An area of 250,000 sq m has been allocated for the Al-Sharayeh General Hospital, with an additional area set for future projects, the ministry said.ABU DHABI'S AHS TO LAUNCH 7TH ABSHER DOCTORS PROGRAMME IN REMOTE AREAS: The Ambulatory Healthcare Services (AHS), a part of the Abu Dhabi Health Services Co (Seha), is set to launch next month a programme providing people living in remote areas with access to essential speciality services, Gulf News has reported. The seventh Absher Doctors programme will provide patients with access to specialists at the Al Qua'a, Al Hayer, Sweihan and Mezyad healthcare centres from September 8 to 11. Absher Doctors offer 368 appointments for consultations with cardiology, dermatology, obstetrics and gynaecology, orthodontics, dental implants, as well as ear, nose, throat (ENT) specialists.SAUDI ARABIA REQUIRES SOMALI, KENYAN PILGRIMS TO TAKE POLIO SHOTS: Saudi Arabia has said all Haj pilgrims coming from Somalia and Kenya are required to produce polio vaccination certificates upon arrival in the kingdom, following the outbreak of an epidemic in the two countries, Arab News has reported. "These pilgrims should produce their polio vaccination certificate at the port of arrival in the kingdom," a health ministry official said. "Upon arrival, these pilgrims will be given another dose of polio vaccine irrespective of their age," the official added.QATAR'S HMC SUSPENDS NON-EMERGENCY SURGERIES: A shortage of anaesthesia respiratory tubes has forced Qatar's Hamad Medical Corp (HMC) to indefinitely suspend all non-emergency surgeries that require general anaesthesia, the Peninsula has reported. Only surgeries of an emergency nature and those for cancer patients are being performed. The shortage was attributed to a fire that broke out in an HMC warehouse in the Industrial Area last month.BAHRAIN LIFTS BAN ON JAPANESE FOOD IMPORTS: Bahrain has decided to lift restrictions on food imports from Japan imposed following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, Gulf Daily News has reported. Following a major earthquake in Japan, a 15-metre tsunami disabled the power supply and cooling of three Fukushima Daiichi reactors, causing a nuclear accident on March 11. The Bahraini ban excluded imports given the all-clear by Japanese authorities, and items produced and prepared for shipment before the reactor was damaged. "Bahrain is the first country in the GCC to lift the ban on food imports and we welcome the decision," said the press secretary of Japanese Foreign Affairs Ministry Kuni Sato, at a press conference in Manama.SAUDI ARABIA TO HIRE FOREIGN FIRM TO OPERATE, DEVELOP DIALYSIS CENTRES: The Saudi health ministry has allocated SR1.9bn for a five-year project to provide healthcare services for kidney patients, which will be assigned soon to a foreign operating company, Saudi Gazette has reported. "The company will run the ministry's existing high level dialysis centres and build new ones to accommodate kidney failure and dialysis patients," Dr Aqeel Jamaan Al-Ghamdi, deputy minister of health for therapeutic medicine and hospitals and supervisor of the National Programme for Dialysis, told the daily. "The company will oversee the total operations of the ministry's dialysis centres and the new one that will built, provide them with the needed equipment and maintenance and staff them with experienced professionals to ensure quality services."SAUDI ARABIA STOPPED ISSUING LICENCES FOR NEW POLYCLINICS: The Saudi government has stopped accepting applications for polyclinics since the issuance of new regulations for private health institutions, Saudi Gazette has reported. The health ministry will issue licences for general and specialist modern medical complexes instead, said assistant undersecretary for Private Sector Affairs at the ministry, Ali Hussein Al-Zawawi.NEW MERS-RELATED DEATH REPORTED IN SAUDI ARABIA: The Saudi health ministry has said one more man has died from the new MERS respiratory virus, bringing to 40 the number of deadly cases in the kingdom at the centre of the growing outbreak, the Associated Press has reported. The 51-year-old man who died in Riyadh was also suffering from cancer and other chronic diseases, the ministry noted.KSA PROBING PRIVATE HOSPITALS FOR 'TRADING IN BLOOD': Saudi Arabia's health ministry is investigating some hospitals in the country which are trading in blood and selling it to patients needing transfusion at excessive rates, Saudi Gazette has reported. Some of these hospitals were allegedly exploiting the need of rare blood types and selling a pint of blood for as much as SR1,800. The ministry has also begun a study in preparation for fixing the prices for blood needed for transfusion "to defeat the greed of private hospitals," the report said.FITNESS 360 ANNOUNCES TWO OPEN DAYS IN DUBAI: Fitness 360 Health Club today迷你倉價錢announced the chance for members and non-members to get involved in two consecutive open days this week in their locations across Dubai, from tomorrow. All four clubs - Arabian Centre, Mazaya Centre, International City and the newest location J3 Mall - invite children and adults to trial group exercise classes, join in on Group Exercise challenges, discuss their health and fitness with the Fitness 360 team and enter competitions. Visitors are free to speak to the trainers and fitness experts about healthier eating habits, improved cardiovascular and muscular strength and address any needs or concerns about their health. Throughout the two days the Fitness 360 team will provide visitors with support and motivation to help improve their health and wellbeing.JAPAN'S SBI TO SET UP PLANT IN BAHRAIN: Bahrain's King Hamad University Hospital has signed a memorandum of understanding with Japan's SBI Pharmaceuticals Co to set up a new facility producing diabetes and cancer medication in the kingdom, Gulf Daily News has reported. "Diabetes and cancer detection drugs will be manufactured from the facility to be set up in Bahrain and will certainly help scores of patients in the region," said SBI Pharmaceuticals assistant manager in Bahrain, Yusuke Asama. The firm has already moved into an office in the Diplomatic Area, but it is not yet clear when the production facility, which will also conduct clinical trials, will be ready.SAUDI ARABIA TO SPEND SR750M A YEAR ON TEACHERS' HEALTH INSURANCE: The National Committee for Insurance at the Saudi Council of Chambers has said the cost of implementing a health insurance program for 500,000 teachers from the education ministry will amount to SR750m annually, Arab News has reported. "This is bound to rationalize expenditure on government hospitals and boost the growth of the insurance sector," said committee member, Abdul Aziz Al-Saud. According to figures by the ministry, teachers, both male and female, represent 57 percent of state employees.QATAR CONFIRMS THIRD MERS CASE: Qatar has confirmed a third case of coronavirus in the country, the Peninsula has reported. A 59-year-old Qatari who recently arrived in Doha from 'another country' tested positive for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), said the Supreme Council of Health (SCH). "The patient is undergoing treatment and his condition is stable," SCH said.JORDANIAN HOSPITALS SEEKING ALTERNATIVES TO INCREASING PRICES: Jordan's Private Hospitals Association (PHA) has said its members will examine all possible alternatives to avoid raising the prices of medical procedures and compensate for the increase in electricity tariffs, Jordan Times has reported. PHA President Fawzi Hammouri said the government not only increased electricity prices for this sector, but also stopped subsidising it, noting that private hospitals used to get a 25 percent discount on electricity consumption. "The discount was cancelled, and with the 5 percent increase, the accumulative increase on the tariff becomes 30 percent," Hammouri told reporters in Amman. A decision to increase electricity tariffs in the country went into effect last Thursday. Private hospitals are one of the sectors included under the hike, with a 5 percent increase in their electricity tariff.HIKMA FORECASTS 20 PERCENT INCREASE IN 2013 REVENUE ON STRONG DOXYCYCLINE SALES: London-headquartered Hikma Pharmaceuticals has raised its full-year revenue forecast for the third time in four months this year, on the back of strong sales of its generic antibiotic doxycycline, Reuters has reported. The company said it expected total revenue to rise 20 percent in 2013, up from its previous forecast of 17 percent. Strong doxycycline sales had prompted Hikma to raise its full-year revenue growth forecast to 17 percent last month, up from 13 percent.OMAN ADDS MERS TO INFECTIOUS DISEASES LIST: Oman's health ministry has added Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) to its infectious diseases list to deal with any situation that may threaten public health, Muscat Daily has reported. MERS-CoV has been added to the list as per World Health Organisation (WHO) classification, under 'Group A Diseases and Syndromes' of the communicable diseases under surveillance in the sultanate.DHA TO DEPLOY TABLET PCS AT DUBAI PUBLIC HEALTHCARE FACILITIES: Dubai Health Authority (DHA) has announced it is soon to deploy more than 3,000 Android tablets across the authority's network of primary health centres (PHCs), hospitals and speciality centres, Gulf News has reported. The tablets with built-in connectivity will provide access to DHA's services, promote health education, allow access to e-government services, and serve as a platform for surveys and feedback. Hospitalised patients "can connect to the outside world, giving him some form of normalcy," said director-general of the DHA, Eisa Al Maidour.OMAN TO SET UP NATIONAL FOOD SAFETY BODY: The Omani cabinet has recommended setting up the Food Quality and Safety Centre, which will be affiliated to the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources, Muscat Daily has reported. The proposed centre will adhere to World Health Organisation's agenda of providing access to nutritionally adequate and safe food to maintain public health in the country. "It will be an umbrella organisation, under which all the different government food monitoring units currently running will come under," said a senior ministry official. "We have the experience of working in close cooperation with the GCC food safety bodies and this will help us in forming a comprehensive body with far reaching powers and effective monitoring methods."Copyright: ___ (c)2013 AME Info (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates) Visit AME Info (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates) at .ameinfo.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉