ID :
410724
Tue, 06/28/2016 - 03:55
Auther :

Cabinet directs to implement more service projects

Manama, June 27 (BNA): His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa wished His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, as Muslims mark the last ten days of the auspicious month of Ramadan, every success in his efforts to achieve the best for the nation and the citizens, and to safeguard them against threats, especially amid the critical situation in the region. The Prime Minister called for being inspired by the blessed last ten days of the sacred month through strengthening solidarity and cohesion to cement national unity, and to foster the values of belonging to the nation, social harmony and fraternity. Chairing the regular weekly Cabinet session at the Gudaibiya Palace today, HRH the Prime Minister also directed the relevant sides to follow up on the service needs of the Um Al-Hassam area, especially regarding infrastructure, traffic and health. According to a statement by the Cabinet Secretary General Dr. Yasser bin Isa Al-Nasser following today’s session, the Prime Minister also directed to implement the development projects approved by the government in the fields of roads and avenues, particularly those suffering from traffic jams and congestion. In this regard, the session was informed about the implementation progress of Al Fateh Highway Revamp Project through the presentation given by the Minister of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning. On health, the Cabinet approved a host of recommendations made by the Ministerial Committee on Financial Affairs and Rationlising Expenditure and presented by its chairman, Deputy Premier, HH Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, on ways to increase the revenues from some services and activities of the National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA) for the aim of improving their quality and recovering some of their costs. While endorsing the recommendations, which included the licensing for health facilities, such as hospitals, private health centres and clinics, centres for practising allied medical professions, like laboratories and X-ray centes, the session stressed that fees levied on services should be consistent with those in neighbouring countries and in the world. The relevant parties were requested to issue the necessary edicts to implement the proposals. Regarding the government’s continuous efforts to downsize the administrative apparatus and reduce expenditure, the session discussed the re-organisation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs , based on the recommendations of the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) which were presented by the Deputy Premier and Deputy Chairman of the Civil Service Council. The recommendations will be discussed in other sessions, following remarks by the Foreign Minister in this regard. On environment, the session decided to develop a national strategy for air quality, and requested the Supreme Council for the Environment (SCE) to prepare it in coordination with the relevant government departments. It also endorsed a national strategy under which the relevant sides in the energy, transportation and industry undertake to reduce their emissions. The session was commenting on a memorandum presented by the Cabinet Affairs Minister on the preparation of the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s report on air quality in some towns in Bahrain. The kingdom ranked negative in the report which focused on one indicator only - concentration of fine particles. The cabinet tasked the SCE to update the Kingdom’s information and data, in cooperation with WHO. The SCE was also requested to cooperate with the relevant government departments and institutions to put forward a long-term environment strategy. In this regard, the session praised the progress achieved by the Kingdom in the field of environment as shown in the 2016 Environmental Performance Index (EPI), released biennially by the Yale and Columbia universities in collaboration with the World Economic Forum. According to EPI, Bahrain ranked first in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and sixth in the Middle East. HRH Premier then tasked the National Informatics Committee, chaired by the Cabinet Affairs Minister, to devise a mechanism that allows the review of international reports related to Bahrain to verify the validity and accuracy of the data and information on which they were based to ensure that they are up-to-date and reflect reality. In a related context, the Prime Minister directed to speed up the implementation of the project to expand and increase the capacity of the wastewater treatment plant. He also issued instructions to continue studies aiming to rehabilitate and clean the Tubli bay. The Cabinet discussed four multi-lateral agreements highlighted in a presentation given by the Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, and referred them to the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs. They included the Convention on Compensation for Damage to Third Parties, Resulting from Acts of Unlawful Interference Involving Aircraft, Convention on Compensation for Damage Caused by Aircraft to Third Parties, the Convention on the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Relating to International Civil Aviation and the Protocol Supplementary to the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Seizure Of Aircraft. The Cabinet also referred a draft-law proposed by the Shura Council on amending some provisions of Law 11/1975 with respect to Passports, along with a memorandum on the government’s opinion, to the National Assembly. The session also discussed five proposals submitted by the Council of Representatives and decided to reply to them as recommended by the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs. They were related to opening a vehicle inspection office in Muharraq, a port and coast for fishermen in Hamala, the course of sewage water in Tubli Bay, the building of a fly-over on Al-Fateh Highway and the salaries of newly-recruited doctors.

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