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The article presents information on Vision 2023, an initiative by the World Health Organization and led by its regional director Doctor Ahmed Al-Mandhari, to address health challenges in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). Topics discussed include the significant role of the Health for All by All in the initiative, and the damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the EMR. Achievements made under the initiative include the eradication of poliovirus in the region.

The author discusses evidence-informed policy making which benefited from attention and resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. Topics include key movements and innovations that are making it possible to provide better evidence support for policy-making than ever, integrated multiconcept approach to evidence to policy for health, and possible ingredients in timely, demand-driven, equity-sensitive evidence products.

The authors reflect on the outbreak of monkeypox (MPX) in the Eastern Mediterranean region and the efforts by public health officials and the World Health Organization (WHO) to address it. Topics include the declaration by WHO of the global MPX outbreak as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) and how the MPX virus is transmitted like face-to-face or skin-to-skin contacts.

The article conceptualizes the divergent aspects of hospital resilience in the Eastern Mediterranean Region and outlines considerations for operationalization. It stresses the need for hospital resilience to maintain their functions and provide high-quality and continuous services amid crises. Emphasis is given on the hospital requirement of a systematic, risk-informed and all-hazard approach, as well as the importance of embedding resilience in organizational culture, structure and management.

The article reports on the resurgence of cholera in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR). It reveals that eight of the 22 member states in the region, including Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan, were grappling with outbreaks of cholera and acute watery diarrhoea as of December 31, 2022. Key World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for prevention and control of cholera in the EMR are discussed, including real-time surveillance, outbreak detection, and response.

The article discusses the need of advocacy to end the war in Gaza, Palestine. Topics mentioned include the physical, mental health, political and economic impact of war on several Palestinians, the humanitarian support provided by the World Health Organization (WHO), and the importance of protecting the human rights for all Gazans and Palestinians.

The article discusses the role of the World Health Organization (WHO) in convening Eastern Mediterranean Region member states in reinforcing partner engagement for universal health coverage, global and national health security and to advance health-related Sustainable Development Goals. It reports WHO partnerships and collaborations with academic institutions through the expansion of the WHO Collaborating Centres and creation of the Network for Institutions for Evidence and Data to Policy.

The authors discuss progress on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Eastern Mediterranean Region countries in the time of COVID-19. Topics mentioned include availability of data for health-related SDG indicators, a decline in the reported number of new cases of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis, and expansion of vaccination coverage.

The article examines the efforts to deploy COVID-19 vaccine in World Health Organization (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) in 2021. Topics discussed include the regional working group created by WHO with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and other partners, use of a dashboard to visualize vaccine and regional data, and the common adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccine, namely, headache, fatigue, asthenia and pyrexia.

Abstract Background Errors have been the concern of providers and consumers of health care services. However, consumers' perception of medical errors in developing countries is rarely explored. The aim of this study is to assess community members' perceptions about medical errors and to analyse the factors affecting this perception in one Middle East country, Oman. Methods Face to face interviews were conducted with heads of 212 households in two villages in North Al-Batinah region of Oman selected because of close proximity to the Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), Muscat, Oman. Participants' perceived knowledge about medical errors was assessed. Responses were coded and categorised. Analyses were performed using Pearson's χ2, Fisher's exact tests, and multivariate logistic regression model wherever appropriate. Results Seventy-eight percent (n = 165) of participants believed they knew what was meant by medical errors. Of these, 34% and 26.5% related medical errors to wrong medications or diagnoses, respectively. Understanding of medical errors was correlated inversely with age and positively with family income. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that a one-year increase in age was associated with a 4% reduction in perceived knowledge of medical errors (CI: 1% to 7%; p = 0.045). The study found that 49% of those who believed they knew the meaning of medical errors had experienced such errors. The most common consequence of the errors was severe pain (45%). Of the 165 informed participants, 49% felt that an uncaring health care professional was the main cause of medical errors. Younger participants were able to list more possible causes of medical errors than were older subjects (Incident Rate Ratio of 0.98; p < 0.001). Conclusion The majority of participants believed they knew the meaning of medical errors. Younger participants were more likely to be aware of such errors and could list one or more causes.

The author comments on the highlights of the 70th session of the World Health Organization Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) held at Cairo, Egypt on October 9-12, 2023. Topics covered include the main conclusion of the Sustainable Development Goals analysis, the endorsement of a regional framework for strengthening public health readiness for mass gatherings and the call for action to enhance and scale up the health workforce in EMR.

The article advocates for enhancing the quality and accuracy of national cancer registries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. It stresses the need to address the political instability and insecurity of cancer registration in the region, the suboptimal data on mortality and causes of death, and limited access to cancer patients' details from the private and semi-governmental healthcare sectors. It supports the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global Initiative for Cancer Registry Development.