Eastern Mediterranean Region

The EMR Regional Hub is working on the theme ‘Universal Health Coverage’ as part of its current Regional Flagship Initiative

The Alma-Ata Declaration of 1978 was the first document to chart out a holistic view of health as a fundamental human right, and identified primary health care as critical to achieving health for all. According to the WHO, Universal Health Coverage means that “all people have access to the health services they need, when and where they need them, without financial hardship. It includes the full range of essential health services, from health promotion to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative care.” UHC is the overarching platform for achieving the health-related SDGs and one of the key objectives of WHO’s 13th General Programme of Work (2019–2023). Yet – essential health services are less widely available in the Eastern Mediterranean Region than in most regions of the world. For the year 2022-23, the IWG’s EMR Regional Hub will prioritize action towards UHC, focusing on equity in access to health services; quality of health services; and protection against financial-risk when accessing healthcare. Additionally, we will explore innovative models to increase people’s access to health care, focusing on four sub-groups of vulnerable populations: children, adolescents, young people, and women. To get more involved with the EMR Regional Flagship Initiative, please contact iwghealthsystems@gmail.com.

IWG EMR Regional Leadership

Muna Abdelmoniem Mohamed Osman | EMR Board Member

Dr. Muna Abdelmoniem Mohamed Osman is a senior Public Health consultant passionate about Healthcare Quality Improvement, Infection Prevention and Control, Reproductive Health, and Saving maternal and child lives. She is working for the Federal Ministry of Health/ National Reproductive Health Program/ Republic of the Sudan as senior consultant and she is responsible for the department of EmONC (Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care). She is an associate professor in Ahfad University for Women and Ibn Sina University in the Community Medicine department. She has worked for more than 10 years in the Sudan Ministry of Health in the field of public health, also worked in Saudi Arabia as a resident doctor / primary health care centers for 5 years. She strives to advance her professional competence and gain more experience in the field of work, and to do her best effort to improve her skills, knowledge and practical experiences to reach the best positions and the highest levels.

Fatima Sala | EMR Board Member

Fatima is a Board Member (EMR) of the International Working Group for Health Systems Strengthening (IWG). She currently works as a data analyst for public-private partnerships at the Saudi Ministry of Health. Her interests lie in cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural approach to understanding complex, highly integrated systems.

Shazia Sajjad | EMR Regional Director

Dr Shazia Sajjad is the regional director for the EMR at IWGHSS. She is Medical Doctor and Public health Specialist. She has distinction in MSc Public Health Program at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine England and an international award-winning scholar of Masters in Public Administration in Policy and Management from Nanyang Centre of Public of Public Administration (NCPA) NTU-Singapore.

Amin Ghrabi | EMR Regional Director

Amin Ghrabi holds a Medical Doctor degree from the Faculty of Medicine of Tunis (2018) and certificates in clinical management of HIV (2017) and epidemiology (2018). He obtained a MSc in Global health Policy degree from the London School of Economics (LSE) in 2020, and a Master of Public health (MPH) degree from the Florida State University (FSU) in 2022. Since 2014, he has been working as a Public Health professional for civil society organizations and international institutions including UNDP, UNODC, and Amnesty International. His research focuses on HIV and HCV epidemiology as well as access to health services and health equity issues.

Manal Etemadi | EMR Regional Leader

Dr Manal is a Health Financing Researcher in the Iran Health Insurance Organization with 10 years of experience in health system research. Manal holds a Ph.D. in Health Policy from the Iran University of Medical Sciences, Iran.

Fareeha Javed Hasan | EMR Regional Leader

Fareeha is a people’s person with a background in human resources. She is very curious by nature and want to change things to ‘right’. With the IWG, she seeks to highlight health problems and strengthen health for all.

Sameh Mikhail Farag | EMR Regional Leader

Sameh is a strategic-minded leader and outcome-oriented Public Health Professional with over 16+ years of experience bridging the gap between scientific, medical, and governmental communities to move projects that control, eliminate, and eradicate diseases in various developing countries. Sameh has hands-on experience in governmental affairs, stakeholder analysis, health policy analysis and management. He is known for incorporating extensive experience in the Egyptian patient journey across different therapeutic domains, particularly cardiovascular diseases, and possesses an established track record of implementing National Health programs and long-term business strategies aimed at company growth while cultivating a solid business relationship.