Abbas Karim

At #WHA79, I was pleased to join a timely and forward-looking discussion on health care financing for universal health coverage #UHC. I would like to thank Burkina Faso, Jordan, Syrian Arab Republic and Türkiye and the @OIC_OCI for bringing together partners to tackle one of the defining health challenges of our time. At a moment of growing financial pressure on health systems, these conversations are more important than ever to help identify sustainable, locally driven solutions that protect access to care and strengthen resilience for the future. Traditional and innovative financing mechanisms, including Awqaf, Zakat, Sukuk and partnerships with development banks and the private sector, can help complement public financing and accelerate progress towards #UHC. The priority now is moving from discussion to implementation: strengthening governance, building evidence, aligning these mechanisms with national health financing strategies, and advancing practical country-level action that delivers equitable impact for communities across the @WHOEMRO Region and beyond. @WHOJordan | @mohgovjordan | @JordanUNGeneva | @WHOSyria | @syrianmofaex | @SyriatoUN | @SyrMOfH | @TC_BMCenevreDT | @WHO_Turkiye | @WHOAFRO | @WHO_Europe

Ahead of #WHA79, I was delighted to meet Prof. John Meara @JohnMeara, Professor of Surgery and Director of the Program in Global Surgery and Social Change @HarvardPGSSC at Harvard Medical School @harvardmed; Dr Kee Park @keepark, Director of Policy and Advocacy, Program in Global Surgery and Social Change, Harvard Medical School; and Dr Tariq Khan @TariqNeurosurg, Professor and Head of Neurosurgery, Northwest School of Medicine @nwsmedu, Pakistan. Our discussion highlighted the value of strong collaboration in advancing surgical, trauma and emergency care across the Eastern Mediterranean Region, including through @WHOEMRO’s Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal. We also explored closer collaboration between @TheLancet Commission on Global Surgery and our Regional Trauma Initiative to help elevate action on trauma and traumatic brain injury, a critical yet too often neglected challenge in conflict-affected settings. #Partners4Health

📢 Call for Papers: Surgical Care Delivery - Global Innovation, Priorities and Financing Surgical care is central to resilient health systems, and in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, the need has never been greater. The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, in collaboration with Harvard Medical School’s Program in Global Surgery and Social Change, invites submissions for a special issue of the Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal (EMHJ). This issue aims to spotlight high-impact, policy-relevant research that addresses challenges, showcases innovations, and advances multisectoral solutions to improve surgical care across the region and globally. 📝 We welcome submissions including: • Original research • Reviews & reports • Policy briefs • Commentaries & letters • Short research communications 📌 Priority areas include: • Surgical care delivery and access (including palliative care) • Financing and health economics of surgical services • Surgical care in migration and displacement settings • Climate change and surgical systems • Disaster and conflict-related surgical care (e.g. trauma, neurotrauma) • Surgical care policy & national planning • Surgical oncology (especially breast & cervical cancer) ⚠️ Submissions should focus on public health and system-level insights (not clinical studies). 📅 Deadline: 30 November 2026 📖 Expected publication: April 2027 🔗 Submit your manuscript: www2.cloud.editorialmanager.com/emhj/ 📄 Author guidelines: emro.who.int/emh-journal/au… 📩 For inquiries: emrgoemhj@who.int 📌 Be sure to indicate your submission is for the special issue on Surgical Care Delivery: Global Innovation, Priorities and Financing. @HarvardPGSSC