Workshop highlights future steps to expand healthy cities in Sharjah

Sharjah / WAM

The Executive Committee for Expansion of Healthy Cities in Sharjah wrapped up a two-day workshop it had launched in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), with the aim of honing the capabilities and skills required by coordinators and working teams to meet the criteria for the expansion of Healthy Cities.
The workshop updated information on the programme, outlined achievements of the emirate in this regard and defined future steps to expand Healthy Cities in Sharjah and timeline for the re-accreditation of Sharjah as a Healthy City.
Moreover, the workshop discussed training programmes to be held within the framework of the Expansion of Healthy Cities programme and WHO’s role in this respect.
Dr. Abdulaziz Al Muhairi, Director of the Sharjah Health Authority and Chairman of the Executive Committee for Expansion of Healthy Cities in Sharjah, said, “The vision of the programme is to make Sharjah a global model for Healthy Cities, founded upon a set of values, including community partnership, sustainable development, justice, efficiency, quality and transparency.”
He added that the programme’s message is to achieve the highest standards of quality of life and sustainable development for Sharjah residents through community partnership, based on international best practices.
According to Dr. Al Muhairi, the expansion of Healthy Cities has established Sharjah’s position as the first emirate in the country to implement the programme and helped enhance cooperation and coordination between Sharjah’s government and other institutions.
It has contributed to the development of plans to address any gaps in community health services. It has also strengthened society’s confidence in the quality of services offered by the emirate in the various areas related to public health, he added.

He indicated that Sharjah’s outstanding initiatives, integrated health infrastructure and crowning as the first healthy city in the region have decreased the time required to complete the procedures to expand the scope of healthy cities from two-three years to only one, based on WHO assessment.
Dr. Samar Al Faki, Programme Specialist at WHO, highlighted the importance of the Healthy Cities’ programme and its relationship to social determinants and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals. She noted that the programme is a commitment to innovation and inter-sectoral cooperation to address the social determinants of health and incorporate health into all policies.

According to Dr. Al Faki, the Healthy Cities’ approach brings human development and health equity to the fore and stimulates participation under one leadership. Currently, thousands of cities around the world are part of the Healthy Cities’ network.

The workshop reviewed the Healthy Cities’ approach, which involves efforts to increase access to safe drinking water, improved sanitation and sound waste management and disposal, as well as efforts to reduce pollution and raise awareness on hygiene practices.

According to WHO, the Healthy Cities Programme works to improve the residential environment, reduce overcrowding and develop slums as priorities for public health. It promotes better urban planning to increase access to safe transportation and green spaces.