Kuwait Is Setting Up Special Department For Chronic Diseases

The Ministry of Health has begun practical steps to set up a special department for protection against chronic non-communicable diseases, a ministry official said on Saturday. Such a department is of national priority for implementing programs and updating data about factors that contribute to spread of such diseases, said the acting undersecretary, Dr. Walid Al-Falah, in a statement.

Establishing such a division serves Kuwait's obligations toward the international community with respect of promoting public health awareness. Minister of Health Dr. Jamal Al-Harbi has adopted the idea of creating the new department, in tandem with the existing cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO) and to help prepare regular reports to the UN agencies, the WHO and regional relevant organizations.

Dr. Al-Falah indicated at a new approach to integrate health issues into the State various policies. The MoH has adopted prior plans to deal with such diseases, namely diabetes, cancer, heart and respiratory illnesses.

Surveys conducted by the ministry and the WHO in 2013 and 2015 showed hike of smoking, physical inactivity and unhealthy eating. They also revealed that proportion of people in Kuwait who abstain from eating vegetables and fruits stood in the range of 83 percent. Physical inactivity, 62.6 percent and obesity, 40.2 percent (all both genders).

SOURCE : KUNA

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