Accord reached ‘in principle’ over tackling future pandemics: negotiating body
WHO members on Saturday reached agreement over how to tackle future pandemics after three years of discussions, the co-chair of...
Science
GCC healthcare: Transforming the region and impacting the world
PwC forecasts that AI could contribute US$320 billion to Middle Eastern economies by 2030, with healthcare predicted to see some...
Science
Interview
PPP projects inject more vigor into Saudi healthcare
The Kingdom is stepping forward and allowing the private firms to invest in healthcare infrastructure, Sandeep Sinha, Head of Healthcare...
- The Kingdom is seeing a rise in private investment in the industry with multiple forthcoming healthcare PPP projects
- Improving access to quality healthcare and building a world-class infrastructure are crucial pillars of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030
Science
Israel to administer Covid vaccine shots to youngest children
Israel's health ministry approved Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccinations for its youngest children, an official said Tuesday, mirroring a move...
- Argentina, Bahrain, Chile, China, Cuba, Hong Kong and Venezuela were previously offering Covid shots for children, but these did not include mRNA vaccines
- All members of the expert panel agreed the vaccines were safe, with most of the panel "recommending to vaccinate at-risk babies and children
Largest Hajj of Covid era ready to begin in Mecca
The biggest hajj pilgrimage since the coronavirus pandemic began kicks off Wednesday, with hundreds of thousands of mostly mask less...
- One million fully vaccinated Muslims, including 850,000 from abroad, are allowed at this year's hajj
- Some pilgrims donned clothing featuring the names and flags of their countries
Science
Horseshoe crab vital for vaccine safety
Their bright blue blood has been essential for testing the safety of biomedical products since the 1970s, when it replaced...
- Around 10 percent of the population is lost each year  as their exposed undersides bake in the Sun.
- Every year around 500,000 horseshoe crabs are harvested and bled for a chemical called Limulus Amebocyte Lysate, vital for testing against a type of bacteria.
Science
Iraq battles with outbreak of cholera as it causes first death
A cholera outbreak in Iraq claimed its first victim Tuesday, with 17 new cases recorded in the country within 24...
- Earlier this month, outbreak was first officially reported with Kirkuk accounting for one of the 13 cases confirmed at that time
- The country's last broad cholera outbreak dates back to 2015, in which the central provinces of Baghdad and Babil was the worst affected
Economy
UAE’s EHS, Johnson & Johnson ink MoU on healthcare
Emirates Health Services has signed a MoU with Johnson & Johnson Middle East to strengthen collaboration towards developing more advanced...
- UAE''s EHS has signed a MoU with Johnson & Johnson to strengthen collaboration towards developing more advanced health services
- The agreement will also strengthen collaboration in developing innovative hi-tech solutions to support the health sector in the country
Business
Saudi Arabia to invest $3bn in vaccines, vital medicines industry
Saudi Minister Bandar bin Ibrahim Alkhorayef said that the targeted pharmaceutical sectors whose value exceeds US$5 billion will be implemented...
- Saudi Minister Bandar bin Ibrahim Alkhorayef said that the targeted pharmaceutical sectors whose value exceeds US$5 billion will be implemented in several stages
- The second phase, the minster said, will focus on localising immunological and cancer treatments technologies
Science
Covid vaccines saved 20m lives in first year: Study
Covid vaccines prevented nearly 20 million deaths in the first year after they were introduced, according to the first large...
- It is the first attempt to estimate the number of deaths prevented directly and indirectly as a result of Covid-19 vaccinations
- The study used official figures or estimates when official data was not available for deaths from Covid, as well as total excess deaths from each country
Science
China’s zero-Covid policy leaves a long trail of medical waste
Hazmat-suited workers poke plastic swabs down millions of throats in China each day, leaving bins bursting with medical waste that...
- From Beijing to Shanghai, Shenzhen to Tianjin, cities are now home to an archipelago of temporary testing kiosks
- Mass testing appears set to stay as Chinese authorities insist zero-Covid has allowed the world's most populous nation to avoid Covid spread
Economy
80 percent children in Ghaza suffer ‘distress’ due to years long blockade: report
Four out of five children in Gaza suffer from emotional distress, Save the Children said Wednesday, 15 years after Israel...
- In a report called "Trapped", Britain-based Save the Children said the mental health of Gazan children has continued to deteriorate
- Since 2018, the number reporting symptoms of "depression, grief, and fear," had risen from 55 percent to 80 percent, the report said
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Accord reached ‘in principle’ over tackling future pandemics: negotiating body
WHO members on Saturday reached agreement over how to tackle future pandemics after three years of discussions, the co-chair of...
Science
Company News
Latest News
Saudi Arabia to produce 80-90% insulin domestically
"More than 200 essential medications have been identified, making up about 40 percent of the total purchases by government health...
Economy
Positive trial for Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-flu jab
Berlin, Germany - Germany's BioNTech and US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer on Thursday announced "positive" results from initial trials of their combined...
Business
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Investment inks 3 MoUs at FII7
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – The Kingdom’s Ministry of Investment signed three memoranda of understanding (MoU) in the fields of biotechnology,...
Business
Most Read
Market Report
Markets fall as Biden set for Middle East diplomacy drive
US and European stock markets mostly fell and oil prices rose as US President Joe Biden prepared for a trip...
- Wall Street opened in the red, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq shedding more than one percent, while Frankfurt and Paris fell 0.6 percent afternoon deal.
- "Understandably, not many people are in the mood to put their hard-earned cash at risk in these uncertain economic times," said an expert.
Geostrategy
WHO transports Gaza aid to Egypt, waits for humanitarian access
Geneva, Switzerland - The World Health Organization said on Saturday enough basic health supplies to serve 300,000 people in the Gaza...
- The WHO supplies include enough medicines to treat 1,200 wounded patients and 1,500 patients suffering from various diseases.
- The supplies were ready to go in once humanitarian access could be established through the Rafah crossing from Egypt into the southern Gaza Strip.
Business
SFD to provide US$20m loan to Central African Republic for development projects
MARRAKESH, MOROCCO - The CEO of the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), Sultan bin Abdulrahman Al-Marshad, signed an additional US$20...
- The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the 2023 World Bank and International Monetary Fund Annual Meetings in Morocco.
- The US$20 million loan agreement aims to finance development projects in CAR, including the establishment of a 250-bed hospital.