JEDDAH: The Saudi Commission for Health Specialties will study the possibility of including mass gathering medicine in the Ministry of Health's educational programs, Dr. Zaid Memish, chairman of the Global Forum on Mass Gathering Medicine, said Monday at a press conference at the conclusion of the forum. “After the study, the matter can be submitted to concerned authorities for approval,” said Dr. Memish, who is also the assistant deputy minister of Health for Preventive Medicine. Dr. Memish said participants from around the world enriched the three-day event, held at the Jeddah Hilton, with presentations and discussions of their experiences in a number of countries. There were several specialized presentations on preventing transmission of infectious diseases in mass gatherings and discussions about working papers addressing similar themes, he added. “These included the issues of health awareness and how to communicate with people from different cultures and languages,” Dr. Memish said. Participants emphasized that modern technology must be used to share news and information, he said. “They insisted on the necessity to build online bridges between all specialized health organizations to get updates about diseases that appear in certain areas of the world,” he said. “This way, these diseases can be controlled in their localities while other countries can take the needed medical measures.” Dr. Memish said there should be full cooperation between health organizations to make the Haj season a success. Dr. Memish said organizers worked for six months to prepare for the event and that the efforts of several Saudi government and academic sectors contributed to its success. Final Communiqué The Global Forum on Mass Gathering Medicine issued a final communiqué recommending that Saudi Arabia host an international authority for mass gathering medicine and take other steps to play a leading role in the field. The document, released at the end of the three-day event in Jeddah, called for development of an academic framework for education in mass gathering health and medicine, to be assigned to the Saudi Council for Medical Specialties in cooperation with the Saudi Ministry of Health. The communiqué also stated that mass gathering medicine forums should be held every two years, in Saudi Arabia, and that an international prize, “Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' Award for Mass Gatherings Medicine,” will honor researchers in the field. According to the communiqué, the authority should shoulder a number of responsibilities such as spreading the culture and programs of mass gathering health; conducting studies; updating policies, procedures and instructive manuals; preparing a database to study the current situation and evaluate progress; reviewing performance and health practices; and providing advice and guidance to promote international cooperation and strengthening national efforts in mass gathering medicine. The communiqué, which encouraged institutes and universities to put mass gathering medicine at top of their funding priorities, called for the creation of awareness campaigns for gatherings around the world.
