The Consultative Scientific Technical Committee of the Council of Arab Ministers of Health, at its 12th meeting Tuesday held at the headquarters of the Arab League, discussed the initiative submitted by Saudi Arabia to designate March 2 of each year as the "Health Martyr" Day. The Ministry of Health's International Cooperation Officer Dr Kamal Hassan Al-Thubeiti represented the Kingdom at the meeting. This humanitarian initiative emerged in the Ministry of Health, which designated March 2 of each year as the "Health Martyr" day, marking the first infection of a health practitioner in the Kingdom with COVID-19. This date was chosen as it does not coincide with other significant World Health Organization days throughout the calendar year for health professionals. Health Martyr Day will pay tribute to all health practitioners who died while upholding their noble profession to serve humanity and protect human health, not only those who died of COVID-19 but other patients requiring care at the time of the crisis. The Ministry of Health, after the success of this initiative in the Kingdom, considered that this memorial day each year should be designated and approved for the "Health Martyr" at the Arab level in recognition of the role played by all members of the health sector in the Arab countries. It sought the day to be a source of pride and commemoration for those individuals who work in the health sector, and to express appreciation and gratitude for all those who lost their lives or were injured while performing their duties in the field of health management. — SPA
