The Ministry of Public Health has reaffirmed Qatar’s commitment to support and highlight global efforts to eradicate tuberculosis.
The health ministry, in collaboration with Hamad Medical Corporation and the Health Care Foundation, celebrates World Tuberculosis Day today under the slogan “We need leaders for a world free of tuberculosis”, a slogan adopted by the World Health Organisation and the world’s countries to raise awareness of the devastating health, social and economic consequences of the tuberculosis epidemic and to intensify efforts to eliminate it.
The theme of this year’s World TB Day focuses on the role of the health sector and all partners in strengthening the commitment to eradicate the disease at all levels.
Dr Hamad Eid al-Rumaihi, Director of Health Protection and Transitional Diseases at the Ministry of Public Health, said the elimination of TB is a priority for Qatar’s public health strategy in line with the UN’s sustainable development goals to eradicate it by 2030.
He added that the ministry’s efforts in co-operation with HMC and the Primary Health Care Corporation and related parties in the public and private sectors and civil society aim to raise awareness of the disease and provide comprehensive coverage of treatment and preventive services for early detection while providing the highest quality standards for these services.
The services also include the medical check-up of all applicants for residency in Qatar, as well as the provision of medicines, laboratory tests and all types of radiographic imaging developed free of charge for all patients.
These efforts have contributed to maintaining very low rates of tuberculosis in Qatar. Anti-TB drugs are provided under direct medical supervision in all cases, in addition to raising awareness of tuberculosis and prevention methods among citizens and residents through lectures, meetings and distribution of publications and others in different languages.
The World Tuberculosis Day on March 24 each year.
Ministry of Public Health
