A delegation from the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office has toured Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Tobacco Control Centre, which was officially inaugurated earlier this year.
In 2017, HMC’s Tobacco Control Centre was designated as a WHO Collaborating Centre, the first in Qatar and the region. WHO Collaborating Centres, which also include research institutes and parts of universities and academies, are designated to carry out activities in support of the WHO’s mandated international health work.
Dr Ahmad al-Mulla, head of Tobacco Control Centre and representatives from the Ministry of Public Health met with members of the WHO delegation and discussed the importance of providing accessible treatment options for people who want to stop smoking.
Members of the WHO delegation acknowledged the importance of the services offered by HMC’s Tobacco Control Centre and congratulated the smoking cessation team on the success of the Centre’s programmes.
The group discussed current regional, national, and international tobacco control activities as well as future initiatives, including a planned regional Train-the-Trainer workshop for healthcare professionals that will provide physicians, nurses, and other allied healthcare workers with information about smoking cessation and tobacco control.
The importance of co-operation and collaboration across the health sector was also discussed.
Dr al-Mulla thanked the delegation for their visit, noting the significance of the relationship between HMC’s Tobacco Control Center and the WHO. He said the international tobacco control community must work together to ensure individual countries have the knowledge, tools, data, and people needed to develop and implement sustained tobacco control programmes.