Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Ghassan Hasbani launched the Policy Support Observatory (PSO), the product of collaboration between the Ministry of Public Health, WHO and the AUB – the Faculty of Health Sciences. Hasbani signed the agreement on the launch of this Observatory with the acting Director of WHO-EMR Dr. Jawad Al Mahjour, AUB President Dr. Fadlo Khuri, in the presence of Dr. Atef Majdalani, the Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the AUB Dr. Iman Nuwayhid, the WHO Representative in Lebanon Gabriel Riedner, Director General of the Ministry Dr. Walid Ammar, heads of syndicates and representatives from different organizations.

Hasbani

In his statement, Hasbani stressed that the Policy Support Observatory is the product of the joint collaboration between the Ministry of Public Health, WHO and AUB. This observatory gathers the scientific researches of the University, the applied knowledge of the Ministry and the standard guidelines of the organization; all of these are elements necessary to make sound policies. Hasbani noted that this approach of making policies based on scientific standards and treating the citizens impartially by looking at their rights and obligations is the approach they are working to consolidate in the Ministry and the administration in general.

“I would also like to point out that during our short-term mandate that did not exceed the one year and a half, i.e. five hundred days; we have succeeded in advancing the administrative work by simplifying the transactions of the citizens and the development of the information system and communications between all the citizens in many fields and through many electronic applications within the universal e-government view. We have also activated the role of the Supreme health Council that hasn’t convened for the past two decades,” Hasbani added.

“Today I am happy to add a unique accomplishment - the Policy Support Observatory – that will provide the Ministry with the scientific data required to make appropriate decisions, support the implementation of policies and health programs, reconsider the same and ensure their continuity away from political influences.”

The agreement was then signed at the conference room of the Ministry.

Dr. Walid Ammar noted that the Policy Support Observatory aims at consolidating the approach of good governance practices adopted by the Ministry, in order to enhance the same and ensure the continuity of the accomplishments achieved by the Healthcare sector so far. The different international studies have proven how the healthcare sector stands out among all other sectors in Lebanon, since it has been one of the few countries around the world that achieved the Millennium Development Goals in the healthcare sector.
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