Revitalizing the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative across the MENA Region
August 7, 2024
Tala Abbas
Exclusive breastfeeding, one of the most cost-effective neonatal health interventions, has the potential to save lives of at least 1.5 million children per year globally, yet it remains inadequately recognized [1]. Extensive evidence shows that breas
University Students’ Epidemic
May 10, 2024
Ghia Al Rawas
Over the past recent years, the excessive use of e-cigarettes among university students globally, and specifically in the MENA region, has become among the most alarming public health issues. In December 2018, the US Surgeon General referred to the utilization of e-cigarettes among youths as an "epidemic", calling for an immediate action to be taken to mitigate its use [1].
Overview on E-cigarettes’ Use Among University Students in MENA Region:
E-cigarettes, al
A call to intensify colorectal cancer (CRC) screening campaigns
February 15, 2024
Iman Najmeddine
In 2025, it is anticipated that Colorectal Cancer (CRC) incidence in Lebanon will witness an increase to 28.8 and 26.1 per 100,000 for males and females, respectively. This is a notable rise from the 2016 rates of
Cervical cancer, a deadly yet treatable cancer?
February 20, 2023
Racha Fadi Soubra
Each year, more than 300,000 women die from cervical cancer with 80% of these deaths occurring in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (1).
This year, cervical cancer awareness month is launched under three key messages by the World Health Organization (WHO) that a
Heart attacks, early marriages, and insurance coverage
September 28, 2022
Mohamed N. Elsayed
Zahra, the eldest of her siblings, was 13 when her grandfather suffered a heart attack. He was a mechanic and the owner of a small repair shop in one of Cairo’s crowded slums. Zahra was smart and talkative, and she said she hated hospitals and wanted to be a lawyer. The doctors at the nearby public hospital diagnosed his condition and explained the need for urgent intervention, but the hospital didn’t have a cath lab. So, the family had to rush to a private cardiology center, where we crosse
Mediterranean Diet and Mental Health
August 17, 2022
Tracy Daou and Sarah Ibrahim
Mental health disorders, primarily depression, are among the leading causes of the global health burden of disease (1). Depression is characterized as a condition where a person feels discouraged, sad, unmotivated, or hopeless for over two weeks and this interferes with their daily activities, behavior, functions, and thoughts. In recent events, the emergence of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic triggered an alarming increase of 25% in the global prevalence of depressi
A call to stand with mothers surviving postpartum psychiatric disorders in the Arab World
June 23, 2022
Zeinab El-Dirani
Mothers all over the world are vulnerable to mental health difficulties, particularly with the transition in their role following childbirth. Personal determinants, such as previous pregnancy loss or a history of mental illness, as well as interpersonal and cultural determinants such
The Mobile University for Health: A Journey of Empowering Women
April 27, 2022
Global Health Institute Academy Team
Countless efforts have been put in the last few years to address the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and the agenda 2030 in the Middle East and North Africa. Among the key issues focused on was gender inequality in the region, which is mainly evident in terms
The real impact of disastrous medicine shortages in Lebanon
December 3, 2021
Nadine Jawad
“I take twelve medicines. Medicine for my heart, medicine for blood pressure, and medicine for my diabetes. I searched through all the pharmacies in the city and either they don’t have it, or the price is too high for me to afford.”
I sat with Talib on his porch on a scorching hot day in July in Nabatiyeh, Lebanon. It was a brutal week for the Lebanese people, as a national medication shortage was getting worse by the day. Just a few weeks before I interviewed Talib, the BBC reported t
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