The World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), an initiative of Qatar Foundation (QF), will showcase ‘Sahtak Awalan’ – ‘Your Health First’ programme among some of the world’s healthcare innovations at the second WISH Summit taking place next month.
Run by Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q), ‘Your Health First’ is a unique wellness promotion programme designed to encourage the Qatari population to lead healthy lifestyles. The five-year educational campaign targets all sections of society, with a particular focus on helping young people aged between 10 and 25 years to make positive, healthy
lifestyle decisions.
WISH’s ‘Innovation Showcases’, has received 80 applications from 26 countries in all areas of health innovation - digital health, healthcare products, design-solutions and innovative health systems and services. Selected entries, will be given the chance to present their ideas to more than 1,000 leading global healthcare experts attending the 2015
Summit.
The selection was made by the Innovation Showcases curation team, represented by Prof the Lord Darzi of Denham, executive chair of WISH; Dr Hanan al-Kuwari, managing director of Hamad Medical Corporation; Tim Brown of global ideas consultancy IDEO; and Bright Simons, president of mPedigree Network, social innovator and
entrepreneur.
Your Health First was launched in 2012 by the Minister of Public Health HE Abdulla bin Khalid al-Qahtani, with a plan to raise awareness of the issue of obesity in Qatar where 70% of adults are overweight and 41% obese.
The minister underscored the importance of community-wide health awareness initiatives, saying: “Your Health First is a crucial initiative due to its leading role in promoting health awareness, and it is imperative that it is presented at the World Innovation Summit for Health as an Innovation Showcase that delegates could learn from, alongside other unique global healthcare innovations to be revealed at the Summit.”
Dr Javaid Sheikh, dean, WCMC-Q, said: “Through its Innovation Showcases, WISH offers the perfect platform for us to share the potential of Your Health First while we take the lead here in Qatar to encourage a new generation of health-aware young adults. It is crucial we educate and inspire our Qatari youth to take ownership of their health and their bodies to enable the best possible fitness for a lifetime of happiness and success.”
Prof the Lord Darzi of Denham said: “Our Innovation Showcases aims to highlight new ideas that have the potential to help transform healthcare worldwide. Educational campaigns such as Your Health First strongly support Qatar’s journey toward the fulfillment of Qatar National Vision 2030’s goals in healthcare.”
Children at a Your Health First campaign.
