The Department of Elderly Care, developed by the Ministry of Health, focuses on integrated programs to enhance health care awareness among old people, Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry for Public Health Affairs Qais Al-Douiri has said.
Al-Douiri made the statement on Sunday during the launch ceremony of the second Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Health Media Award, sponsored by Health Minister Ali Al-Obaidi under the slogan "Prevention of Obesity." In this regard, the Ministry focuses on risks spread in the society such as physical inactivity, overweight, obesity, rise of sugar level and improper foodstuff, he added.
Al-Douiri, a member of the GCC Minister of Health Executive Board, noted that the Ministry is reaching out to people of different ages in the society, especially students. He said the Ministry had recently opened a new department for school haelth.
For his part, GCC Minister of Health Executive Board Director General Tawfik Khoja said the award financial value was raised from USD 50,000 to USD 100,000. Domains of the award have also been increased to seven, instead of five. He noted that obesity was chosen as a slogan for this year's award for the rising rate among men and women in the GCC societies, where 60 percent of women suffer from it. In some other countries the rate rises to 80 percent.