Deputy Governor of Capital Governorate HE Hassan Abdullah Al Madani, Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health Dr Samya Bahram, WHO Representative in Bahrain Dr Tasnim Atatrah, Regional Adviser for Health Promotion and Social Determinants of Health Dr Samar El Feky and the team at the Capital Governorate Office. Photo credit: Capital Governorate, Bahrain.
8 September 2024, Manama, Bahrain – WHO conducted a two-day mission between 21–22 August to Bahrain’s Capital Governorate as part of its evaluation as a healthy governorate.
The field visit was conducted by the Ministry of Health, WHO Country Office in Bahrain and WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, in collaboration with the WHO Collaborating Centre (WHO-CC) for Healthy Cities in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The WHO Healthy Cities initiative creates a framework in which health and well-being can be promoted in complex urban environments in a sustainable way. Recognizing the importance of multisectoral collaboration, it encourages community innovation that improves health and well-being for all.
Taking account of the social determinants of health, the sites for the visit were selected based on 9 domains: community organization/mobilization for health development; intersectoral collaboration; availability of information; environmental health; health development; education and literacy; skill development and capacity building; microcredit activities and emergency preparedness and response.
Mission members visit one of the designated sites. Photo credit: WHO/WHO Bahrain. 
Mission members tour the Accident and Emergency Department at Salmaniya Medical Complex. Photo credit: WHO/WHO Bahrain.In May 2024, a Ministry of Health and WHO Country Office technical team visited the Capital Governorate Office to provide technical support for the self-assessment phase of the Healthy Cities process. The meeting was led by Capital Governor Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulrahman bin Rashid Al Khalifa.
Scaling up the Healthy Cities programme is high on Bahrain's agenda and is in line with WHO’s 13th Programme of Work and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Related links
WHO designates 2 additional cities in Bahrain as healthy cities
Healthy Cities initiative expands to governorates in Bahrain
