Eastern Mediterranean health journal = La revue de sante de la Mediterranee orientale = al-Majallah al-sihhiyah li-sharq al-mutawassit最新文献

Background: Saudi Arabia launched its national biotechnology strategy to position the country as a global biotechnology hub by 2040 and enhance biomanufacturing, medical innovation and self-sufficiency in vaccines and genomics.

Aim: To assess the role of biobanks in advancing the national biotechnology strategy, using the Saudi Biobank as a case study.

Methods: We collected operational data from the Saudi Biobank and reviewed literature on biobanks published between 2010 and 2024, guided by the 4 pillars of the Saudi national biobank strategy (vaccine localisation, biopharmaceutical manufacturing, genomics, agricultural biotechnology) and the 5 enabling factors (talent development, infrastructure, regional presence, regulatory excellence, strategic funding). We compared the Saudi data with the global biobanking market data, to illustrate the contributions of biobanks to other aspects of healthcare.

Results: By mid-2024, the Saudi Biobank had enrolled 53 338 participants and collected 589 461 biospecimens. It currently serves as a platform for genomic research, precision medicine, clinical trials, and advanced biotechnology, while also facilitating technology transfer and commercialisation.

Conclusion: The Saudi Biobank is considered one of the most advanced health initiatives in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. To enhance its impact, there is a need to strengthen its capacity through increased and sustained investments, improved data interoperability and data integration, standardised governance systems, increased national and international partnerships and collaborations, and other policy reforms.

Background: Primary health care is central to achieving Universal Health Coverage and better health outcomes; however, it requires adequate resources for effective implementation.

Aim: To estimate the cost of implementing an integrated primary health care package in Sindh Province, Pakistan.

Methods: We developed an integrated primary health care service package and standard treatment guidelines for each service provided at 12 basic health units across 4 districts of Sindh Province. We then collected and analysed cost and service volume data for the health units using the CORE Plus tool, under 3 service delivery scenarios.

Results: Standard costs per service in health units that provided round-the-clock maternal care services decreased in scenarios 2 and 3 as service volumes increased, while standard costs did not decrease in health units that provided services for only 6 hours per day for 6 days a week. The average annual standard costs per 10 000 population in round-the-clock health units were US$ 38 315 for scenario 1, US$ 47 139 for scenario 2 and US$ 56 719 for scenario 3. For health units that provided services for only 6 hours per day for 6 days, the annual standard cost was US$ 22 800. Medicines, supplies and laboratory tests accounted for the highest proportion of the total costs, followed by staff salaries and operating costs. Staffing requirements increased for multiple roles.

Conclusion: Integrating services and analysing service costs regularly to align resources with care needs can help improve the cost-effectiveness of services at primary health centres.

Background: Research evidence gaps place limitations on efforts to address health challenges in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

Aim: To identify public health research priorities in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

Methods: Based on the burden of disease data, the Gulf Centre for Disease Prevention and Control identified public health priorities in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries in 2023. We searched available literature on PubMed, Google Scholar and Google to identify research themes appropriate for addressing the identified health priorities. We then used the Delphi technique to prioritise the research topics.

Results: The top priority research areas identified were: challenges in implementing antimicrobial stewardship programmes, economic impact of antimicrobial resistance interventions, effects of environmental change on the prevalence and movement of disease vectors, capacity and readiness of health systems to prevent noncommunicable diseases, factors influencing behaviour change for noncommunicable disease prevention, barriers to accessing noncommunicable disease prevention services, effectiveness of behavioural interventions in reducing tobacco use, gender-specific barriers to physical activity, seasonal patterns of physical activity, effectiveness of road safety interventions, and community safety culture regarding road traffic.

Conclusion: The research priorities provide a roadmap for closing the evidence gap and accelerating health policy‑relevant research in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

Background: Hypertension is a major risk factor for non-communicable disease morbidity and mortality globally, and its prevalence varies significantly across socioeconomic groups.

Aim: To investigate the socioeconomic disparities in hypertension prevalence in northwestern Islamic Republic of Iran, focusing on gender and socioeconomic and education status.

Methods: We analysed data on Ardabil, Northwest Islamic Republic of Iran, extracted from the Persian cohort study, a population-based study involving 20 149 individuals aged 35-70 years, conducted between May 2017 and February 2020. Hypertension status was determined through self-reported diagnosis and clinic records. We used the multilevel logistic regression models to assess factors associated with hypertension prevalence, and the slope index and relative index of inequalities with Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition to quantify socioeconomic inequalities.

Results: Older age, male sex, lower education level, marital status, lower economic status, and higher body mass index were the main determinants of hypertension prevalence. Prevalence was 25.1% (95% CI: 24.3-25.9) among men and 32.5% (95% CI: 31.4-33.7%) among women. It was substantially higher among the poorest population groups than the richest (25.8% vs 13.7% crude rate and 28.4% vs 19.9% adjusted rate). Individuals with lower education status exhibited higher hypertension rates (22.3%) (95% CI = 19.9-24.9). These disparities were more pronounced among women (CI = -0.167) than men (CI = -0.041).

Conclusion: Significant disparities exist in hypertension prevalence in northwestern Islamic Republic of Iran: prevalence was higher among individuals with lower socioeconomic and education levels and among women. Interventions to address the gender and socioeconomic inequalities and promote education attainment are crucial to effectively control hypertension among the population group.