The Lancet: Offline: Global health has forgotten the Arab World
Richard Horton, editor in chief of the Lancet

“…The only health organization with an exclusive mandate to address health in the Arab World is WHO’s Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO). EMRO has struggled to meet its challenges. … Something needs to change — in the Arab World, at EMRO, and globally. … What can be done? Instead of waiting for governments to act, the health and medical research communities could do more to encourage collaborations with Arab nations. The Arab World is home to world-class universities … By forging bilateral educational, clinical, and research partnerships, possibilities for a transformational shift in opportunities for a new Arab generation are palpable. … Arab countries are an illuminatingly rich arena for health action. The Qur’an underlines the importance of knowledge, reflection, and education. Scaling up programs of scientific and professional exchange would justly honor these Qur’anic commitments” (4/6).