IN BRIEFS

IN BRIEFS

HMC conducts health checks on Sport Day

More than 40 nurses and medical staff from HMC’s hospitals offered free health checks to participants of various events at Katara Cultural Village, the Corniche, Al-Kharaityat and Aspire Zone during National Sport Day. These included blood pressure checks and weight measurement.

HMC nursing assistant executive director Dr Badriya al-Lingawi described HMC’s activities as a “reflection of the corporation’s commitment to the community”.

All events organised on the day highlighted the importance of leading a healthy and active lifestyle, contributing to the growth and success of the nation - the main purpose of Qatar’s National Sport Day.

Activities at Katara, organised as part of the Kulluna campaign to improve safety and health, included a basketball shootout, tug-of-war, relay race, hula hoop challenges, an egg-and-spoon race, a space-hopper race and a sack race. Tips on how to lead a healthy lifestyle, including having a balanced diet, were also provided to thousands of people who attended the events at Katara.

“HMC is committed to adopting and developing medical programmes that look to enhance the concept of public health and safety,” said Dr Khalid Abdulnoor Saifeldeen, director of Hamad International Training Centre.

Ashghal to build 12 new schools

The building affairs department of the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has started preparing designs to construct 12 new schools in different parts of the country.

While the cost of the project will exceed QR576mn, the new buildings will conform to the guidelines of the Supreme Education Council.

The project will take the total number of school buildings Ashghal is delivering in the 2008-2013 period to 79, at a cost of QR4bn.

1,400 marital disputes settled

The Family Counselling Centre in Doha helped in amicably settling 1,400 marital disputes from a total of 2,975 last year.

Hasan bin Salem al-Buraiky, the head of the family rapprochment cell at the centre, said in an interview to the local daily Al Arab that the underlying cause was almost similar in most of the cases. Lack of the spirit of ‘give and take’ among spouses in money matters and the sinister impact of “BlackBerry” and the social media on relations among individuals and families are the most visible reasons for such discord.

“We tread on very sensitive ground when we deal with tension among spouses. Our effort is always to offer a helping hand and play a mediatory role. We try our best to calm down the two differing sides and make them look at the issues from a different frame of mind. We have also to deal with aggravating factors such as the unnecessary interference of the immediate relatives in such disputes,” he said.

Tourism byelaws soon

The tourism and hospitality industry in Qatar is set to witness significant development with a new vision and mission on the strength of the law that was promulgated three months ago.

Esa bin Mohammad al-Muhannadi, chairman of the Tourism Authority, said: “A committee is working on the byelaws required for implementing various aspects of the law. It is expected to complete its task within five months.”

The new strategy seeks to offer many incentives for investment and involve the private sector in implementing sustainable projects in tourism and hospitality.

Focusing on natural and environmental sites such as some islands off Qatar will be an important aspect in the new phase of tourism.

He said that many tourists have evinced interest in visiting islands which are still untouched and remain pristine. “It is in this context that we organised a special event in the Nakheel island on National Sport Day.”