 | |
 MOH Office in Al Khair Towers, Sanabis | |
| Ministry overview | |
|---|---|
| Type | Government Ministry |
| Jurisdiction | Cabinet of Bahrain |
| Headquarters | Diplomatic Area,Manama |
| Minister responsible | |
| Website | www.moh.gov.bh |
TheMinistry of Health is responsible for providing integrated preventive and curative health services, through a network of primary, secondary and tertiary health care facilities, in theKingdom of Bahrain.[1] These healthcare services are provided in coordination with other ministries, private sector and the community.
The current Minister of Health isDr. Jaleela bint Sayed Jawad Hassan since June 2022.[2] Earlier to this role, she was the Chief Executive Officer ofprimary health care centers.
The former Minister wasFaeqa bint Saeed Al Saleh[3][4] serving in this position from 1 October 2015.[5] She had also served earlier inBahrain's Cabinet, as the Minister of Social Development during 2014–2015. Earlier to that, she was the Assistant Secretary General of theLeague of Arab States (LAS)—Head of Social Affairs Sector.
All three forms of healthcare, Primary, Secondary and Tertiary, is available in Bahrain along with highly specialized services. Primary healthcare in Bahrain is mostly provided from 23 health centres distributed across the four governorates of Bahrain. Free treatment is provided for all Bahrainis, while foreigners are required to pay seven Dinars (US$18) per visit. Citizens and Residents can book their medical appointments online for the General Clinics at the Health Centers.[6]
The health centers provide a range of support services including the following,
Primary and secondary healthcare is also provided bymany private hospitals, includingAmerican Mission Hospital, the oldest in the country and the region.
Secondary and tertiary healthcare is provided for citizens and residents, from the following government hospitals.[6]
The following directorates come under the Ministry of Health, as per the ministry's organization structure.[7]
In its fight against Covid-19, Bahrain's Ministry of Health and theNational Health Regulatory Authority approved theSinopharm BIBP vaccine of China, in December 2020, and began administering it, to its citizens and residents. After Britain, Bahrain also became the second nation in the world to approve thePfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine[8] in the same month.
In January 2021, Bahrain announced the approval of a third vaccine, theOxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, fromSerum Institute of India,[9][10] among the choices of vaccines that the people of Bahrain can opt for, when getting vaccinated against Covid-19.
Bahrain launched the world's first vaccine appointment app, which allowed people to choose from two vaccines,[11] but now has added the third to its options.
Reaching 100,000 vaccinations in just one month, for the small nation of Bahrain, is also a remarkable achievement. The shots are being administered from Ministry of Health's 27 health centres and the King Hamad University Hospital (KHUH) in Bahrain.[12]
Bahrain also launched mobile vaccination units for seniors and individuals with special needs. It is the first of its kind in the GCC, an initiative that allows medical teams to make home visits to provide one of two approved COVID-19 vaccines to those unable to attend dedicated centres.[13]
On 26 January 2021, Bahrain also granted an emergency use authorisation for theOxford–AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, and it became the third such approval in the kingdom.According to Gulf News[14]
The vaccine is produced by the AstraZeneca Company in cooperation with Oxford University and is manufactured in India. The approval comes on the basis of a study conducted by Bahrain’s National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA) with participation of an inoculation committee at the Health Ministry.[14]
The fourth Vaccine approved by Bahrain’s NHRA isSputnik V COVID-19 vaccine[15]
The National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA) has also authorized, as the fifth vaccine, the emergency use ofJanssen COVID-19 vaccine from Johnson and Johnson.[16] Bahrain became the first country in the world to approve this particular vaccine.[17]