50 Health Ministry officials honoured

Manama : The Assistant Under-secretary for hospitals, Dr Walid Al Mana, has urged all the officials and employees to take care of sickle-cell patients by providing them best diagnosis, care and rehabilitation. Speaking during the World Sickle Cell Day celebrations, he pointed out that the celebration was held in honour of distinguished employees.

The ceremony was organised under the auspices of Dr Walid Al Mana and the Department of Genetic blood diseases at Salmaniya Medical Centre (SMC) as part of World Sickle Cell Day. The ceremony included a scientific lecture and an honouring ceremony for 50 officials at the Health Ministry’s Sickle Cell department. Dr Walid Al Mana and Dr Rajaa Al Youssef honoured the candidates.

SMC Deputy Medical Chief Dr. Rajaa Al Youssef said that the patients receive attention and follow up from the senior management of the Kingdom of Bahrain and officials in the Ministry of Health.

The scientific lecture was on the drug named oxycodone that proved successful in improving the patients’ lifestyle and getting better therapy results, reducing the rates of complications that the patients face in general.

“The Health Ministry has begun to replace morphine pills with oxycodone for sickle cell patients as part of a plan to replace injections with pills. This is an alternative to morphine, which provides a safer method for patients to cope with the illness. Oxycodone is also universally recommended as many studies claim its effectiveness,” the lecture explained.