KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Minister of Health Dr Ahmad Al-Awadhi said that the rapid spread of antibiotic resistant bacteria is alarming. This came during Dr Al-Awadhi’s opening speech in the Sixth Medical Lab Conference, under the title Advanced in Clinical Microbiology and Quality Assurance. He added that the Ministry took decisive steps by appointing a specialized liaison officer to work with the World Health Organization (WHO) since 2021, to collect germs data from the ministry’s microbiology laboratories and submit it directly to WHO.

He stated that Kuwait adopted strict and innovative policies to regulate the use of antibiotics in all its health facilities, in line with the ambitious goals of the global action plan on antimicrobial resistance, and the “AWARE” program. He said that the Ministry adopted advanced approaches for classifying antibiotics, and proving its firm commitment to providing a health system capable of facing challenges. He pointed out that Kuwait proved its leading position, through its strategic partnership with WHO, by joining the WHO Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS).

Dr Al-Awadhi inaugurates the Sixth Medical Lab Conference.

Head of the Laboratory Departments Council, Dr Ibtisam Al-Jumaa

Director of the Medical Laboratory Services Department at the Ministry of Health and Head of the Conference Dr Rama Al-Safi

Dr Al-Awadhi said that microbiology laboratories in health facilities play a leading role in diagnosing infectious diseases through advanced laboratory techniques, noting that their role goes beyond diagnosis, as they work to monitor health care infections and identify their causes. On her part, Director of the Medical Laboratory Services Department at the Ministry of Health and Head of the Conference Dr Rama Al-Safi said that one of the most important goals the ministry seeks to achieve is train the medical staff and develop their professional skills to line with the rapid scientific development.

She said that the conference aims to raise the scientific and clinical level and exchange experiences between doctors, medical laboratories staff and health care providers in general. She pointed out that the medical laboratories affiliated with the ministry conduct more than 45 million laboratory tests annually through 29 laboratories in hospitals and specialized health centers and 98 laboratories in health care centers. — KUNA