Al-Othaimeen Calls On The OIC Virtual Meeting On The Novel Coronavirus To TakeCollective Action To Face The Pandemic

The emergency virtual meeting of the Steering Committee on Health (SCH)on the COVID-19 pandemic was held at the level of health ministers on 9 April 2020 at the OIC headquarters in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Jeddah (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 9th Apr, 2020) The emergency virtual meeting of the Steering Committee on Health (SCH)on the COVID-19 pandemic was held at the level of health ministers on 9 April 2020 at the OIC headquarters in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The participants’ statements and interventions were madevia video conference.

H.E. the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Dr. Yousef A. Al-Othaimeen, addressed the meeting chaired by H.E. Abdul-Rahman Bin Mohamed Al-Owais, Minister of Health and Prevention of the United Arab Emirates. The meeting was attended remotely by the Ministers of Health, members of the OIC-SCH, and byDr. Bandar bin Muhammad Hajjar, President of the Islamic Development Bank Group (IsDB Group), together withrepresentatives of OICinstitutions and organs and a number of international organizations.
Dr.Al-Othaimeensaid that the meeting convenes at a time the entire world is facing an unprecedented challenge in human history, as millions of people are infected with the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19).
The Secretary General pointed to COVID-19’s impacts on economy, health and different walks of social life, stating that this required OIC Member States to take immediate and decisive preventive, treatment and sensitization measures at the national, regional and international levels to curb the spread of the disease and protect people.

Al-Othaimeenstressed the determination of the OIC and its institutions to play their role in helping the Member States to fight COVID-19 collectively, emphasizing the OIC’s readiness to utilize its available resources to help the peoples of the Islamic world in these difficult times.
The Secretary-General said that many of the healthcare systems of OIC Member States need urgent support to face the steady increase in the numbers of patients, expressing appreciation to the Islamic Development Bank and the Islamic Solidarity Fund (OIC-ISF) for their initiatives to address the adverse impacts of the pandemic.
Al-Othaimeen appealed to all the Member States, their governments, institutions and individuals, to make generous donations to the OIC-ISF, such as to enable the OIC to provide the much-needed support.