Dubai – March 2018 

With a generous invitation from His Excellency Bahr Idriss Abuqadra, Minister of Health in Sudan, delegates from the Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences attended the Third National Health Research Conference, which took place from the 6th to the 8th of this month in Khartoum, under the patronage of Bakri Hassan Saleh, Prime Minister and First Vice President of Sudan. 

 

In his opening speech, His Excellency praised the services that the Hamdan Medical Award has provided to the Sudanese public in conjunction with the Al Maktoum Foundation, which has strived to provide education underprivileged areas in Khartoum through the installation of 4 secondary schools.

 

The Foundation has also extended its outreach to Darfour with the installation of 3 educational complexes holding 6 schools and medical centers, housing facilities for teachers, electricity and water stations, and a mosque. The Foundation’s work in Darfour has been one of the most highly-praised social initiatives in the city. 

 

The schools hold approximately 3000 students across the country. His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum also supported the creation of a College of Applied and Basic Sciences at the International University of Africa in Khartoum, which gives the opportunity for students enrolled in the Maktoum Foundation schools to pursue their university studies. There are currently 393 enrolled graduates from the Foundation’s schools. 

 

Various medical issues were discussed at NHRC, ranging from strategies to socioeconomic studies of illnesses attributable to factors such as poverty, pollution, and the scarcity of medical resources at the national and continental levels. 

 

At the conference’s closing, the delegates met His Excellency Bahr Idriss Abuqadra, Minister of Health, who extended his gratitude to His Excellency Mirza Sayegh, member of the Board of Trustees at the Maktoum Foundation, for the Foundation’s charitable work in Sudan. The delegates also met Undersecretary Dr. Issam Al Deen Mohammed Abdullah, as well as Dr. Naeemah Al Qaseer, World Health Organization Representative in Sudan, with whom discussions continued regarding developments in research, interventions to improve quality of life, and the provision of comprehensive medical care. 

 

Furthermore, the Award’s representatives met with Her Excellency Samia Abushakra, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research in Sudan, who extended her heartfelt gratitude towards High Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum for his initiative towards the progression of the medical field and his expansive support for scientists and the continual development of the healthcare sector in order to better serve the community.