HRH Premier chairs Cabinet session

Manama, July 16 (BNA): His Royal Highness Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa chaired the regular weekly cabinet session, attended by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince, Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Premier, at the Gudaibiya Palace today. HRH Premier, a post-session by Cabinet Secretary-General, Dr. Yasser bin Isa Al-Nasser, said, followed up on the implementation progress of his directives to put forward a plan to adjust the management of medicines and their stocks at the Salmaniya Medical Complex (SMC) and health centres. The Finance Minister and Health Minister presented the short-term and long-term implementation phases of the scheme. BD 15 m allocated for medicine purchase Regarding the short-term phase, HRH Premier gave directives to allocate BD 15 million for the direct and immediate purchase of 650 types of medicines to cover the medicine stock for four months. As to the long-term phase, HRH Premier gave instructions to recruit specialised experts to manage the logistics operations of purchasing, storing and distribution of medicines according to the best practices to improve the stock management. Triple Treat Water’s conservation urged  The cabinet discussed ways to make optimal use of the triple treat water through saving it and ensuring it is not wasted.  Options include using triple treat water in boosting tree-planting, farming and increasing the green spaces, especially in the southern and remote areas, as well as in combating desertification. Proposals also include the launch of national network to transport treated water. 130 tenders launched in Q2/2018 The session reviewed the roads, sanitation and buildings projects during the second quarter of this year. According to a memorandum presented by the Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Minister, 69 projects, costing BD 138 million, are being implemented, 37 projects, worth BD 50 million, had their tenders awarded, and 24 projects, worth BD 32, have been put out to tender. The projects include mainly the implementation of the BD 7 million-first phase of the reclamation of the Muharraq Ring Road linking Diyar Al-Muharraq and Busaiteen, the BD 1.5 million-Halat Bu Maher road revamp, the construction of the Health Ministry’s BD 11.5 million-long stay care centre in Muharraq and the BD 3 million-Sanabes road revamp. Bahrain-France security, high education MoUs approved  The session approved two memoranda of understanding (MoU) between Bahrain and France on cooperation in security and high education fields, as recommended by the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs, and highlighted in the memoranda presented by the Deputy Premier and committee chairman. The first MoU aims to strengthen security cooperation and coordination between the two countries in combating terrorism and its funding, in line with their commitment to international conventions and in order to achieve their common interests. The second MoU is on cooperation between Bahrain’s High Education Council and the French High Education, Research and Innovation in high education in order to enhance their academic relations. MoU on Bahrain-UK environment cooperation endorsed The cabinet endorsed another MoU between Bahrain’s Supreme Council for Environment (SCE) and the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, represented by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas). Under the MoU, approved based on a recommendation by the by the Ministerial Committee for Legal Affairs, and highlighted in the memoranda presented by the Deputy Premier and committee chairman, the two sides will enhance their cooperation in marine sciences, marine environment, biodiversity and pollution. Two bills referred to Legislature The session reviewed a draft-law, prepared based on proposals by the Council of Representatives, on caring for, rehabilitating on employing people with disabilities, and another on amending the Penal Code promulgated by Decree-Law 15/1976. The two bills were referred to the Council of Representatives, along with a memorandum on the government’s opinion on them.