KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Ministry of Health launched a regional training course Tuesday aimed at building the capacity of evaluators from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to assess and certify health-promoting commercial complexes (healthy shopping malls) – part of a growing initiative to integrate public health into everyday urban spaces. The two-day program, organized by the Ministry’s Healthy Cities Office, includes theoretical sessions and field visits to shopping centers in Kuwait that have already passed health-based assessments.
Speaking at the opening session, Dr Amal Al-Yahya, Director of the Healthy Cities Office, said the training introduces key evaluation skills, standardized tools, and essential considerations for those involved in assessing malls under the “Mu’azzaz” initiative. “This initiative is a model for turning commercial spaces into health-supporting environments,” Dr. Al-Yahya said. “It reflects the broader goal of the Healthy Cities initiative – to address the social determinants of health and create supportive environments for public well-being.”
She explained that Kuwait’s experience in applying the Mu’azzaz model is being used as a case study, offering both theoretical and practical guidance based on the GCC’s unified manual for health-enhancing malls, endorsed by the Joint Gulf Committee on Healthy Cities.
The initiative encourages shopping centers to invest in health promotion by meeting specific criteria developed and approved by GCC health ministries. These standards focus on creating supportive environments through public health messaging, access to healthy food options, smoke-free policies, and services tailored to groups like seniors, pregnant women, mothers with infants, and people with disabilities.
Dr Al-Yahya emphasized that the initiative also seeks to raise health awareness and embed wellness into daily life by integrating features like safe walking spaces, recycling stations, first aid readiness, and breastfeeding rooms. Dr Layla Al-Fuzai, who leads the Healthy Mall project, described the concept as “a practical way to merge health with everyday experiences like shopping.” “Our vision is to improve public health not just through hospitals and clinics, but through environments that support healthy choices and inclusive design,” she said.
Dr Al-Fuzai noted that the program has already shown positive outcomes, including increased health awareness among mall visitors, and urged for its expansion across all commercial centers in the region. The training coincides with Kuwait’s hosting of the 24th meeting of the GCC Joint Committee on Healthy Cities, where officials discussed transitioning the Mu’azzaz project from national-level implementation to a coordinated GCC-wide strategy. — KUNA
