HE the Minister of Public Health Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari has affirmed that National Day and its connotations, values and principles are cherished by the Qatari people, which clearly inspires and contributes to values of loyalty, solidarity, and unity among all.
In a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA) to coincide with the day, the minister said Qatar has been blessed with wise leaders who are loyal to their country and citizens since the era of the Founder Sheikh Jassim bin Mohamed bin Thani until present time under the wise leadership of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.
She said Qatar is moving steadily and reaching great achievements in its blessed path of progress based on solid foundations and immortal values that have contributed to achieving comprehensive and sustainable development that takes into account the rights of successive generations.
She pointed out that the carefully selected slogan for National Day, which is based on the wise sayings of the founder, illustrates an important aspect of these values and principles that the Qatari people preserve and celebrate every year.
She said the slogan for this year’s National Day, “Ancestral Meadows: A Matter of Trust”, is derived from one of the poems of the Founder Sheikh Jassim bin Mohamed bin Thani, which illustrates an important aspect of the citizens’ attachment to their environment and love for their precious homeland and its preservation.
National Day is an occasion to confirm that the Ministry of Public Health and its partners in the health sector are working in accordance with the wise directives of His Highness the Amir and on the instructions of HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz al-Thani to improve the health of the Qatari community in accordance with the health strategies aimed at achieving Qatar National Vision 2030, she pointed out.
The minister said that the Ministry of Public Health and its partners in the health sector have made significant achievements, adding that Qatar has established a strong health system on a global level, thanks to the unlimited support of the wise leadership of His Highness the Amir.
In this context, al-Kuwari highlighted the Amir’s speech during the first elected Shura Council meeting, in which he expressed thanks and appreciation to health institutions and their workers for their well-deserved success in addressing the Covid-19 pandemic.
She said that this high praise represents a badge of pride for workers in the health sector and a motivator to do the utmost to always provide the best in community service.
She felt the measures adopted by the State succeeded in limiting the spread of Covid-19 among members of society, mitigating its effects on various aspects of life, and reducing the death rate due to complications of the disease to a minimum, as one of the lowest death rates caused by Covid-19 in the world was recorded. The success factors were also represented in following an evidence-based scientific approach by making decisions according to the results of scientific studies and research, which contributed to improving the response of Qatar to the pandemic, and Qatari scientists also contributed to the publication of many important scientific research on the pandemic in international scientific journals, the minister underlined.
She referred to the national programme for Covid-19 vaccination and the State’s coverage of most of its residents — as more than 85.6% of the population received two doses of the vaccine, which is one of the highest rates of vaccination against Covid-19 in the world.
The provision of the third booster dose also began for people who have received their second dose six months before.
She pointed out that Qatar ranked 15th for countries that dealt with the Covid-19 pandemic and was the only Arab country that was included in this classification in Der Spiegel magazine.
She added that during the past 10 years, at the level of the public health care system, 10 state-of-the-art hospitals and many new specialised facilities were opened and the number of hospitals affiliated with Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has increased to 14. The healthcare system now includes some of the most advanced medical technologies in the world.
The number of primary healthcare centres in the public sector has now increased to 28 centres affiliated with the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) and four other centres run by the Qatar Red Crescent.
The organ transplant programme in Qatar has been developed to currently include lung transplants, in addition to kidney and liver transplant surgeries, making HMC one of the most comprehensive organ transplant centres in the region, the minister said, pointing out that Hamad General Hospital successfully performed the first lung transplant operation in Qatar.
The e-health services also promoted innovation in a rapid and effective manner, and the health care system became connected through electronic systems that ensure the ability of medical teams to access patient records in the various facilities of the public healthcare system.
The Ministry of Public Health has developed a draft electronic system for pharmacy management and drug control, which is an electronic system designed to register pharmaceutical products and approve or refuse to trade them in Qatar.
The ministry has also started implementing the drug tracking project, which aims to monitor pharmaceutical and health products and provide information on the drug circulating in the Qatari market with ease.
The ministry also developed the electronic food safety system, which represents a tight system for the food control process through three electronically linked systems represented in the imported and exported food control system, the food control system in the local market, and the electronic management of food analysis laboratories in order to raise the efficiency of the Food Safety Department in tracking food across the entire food chain.
The ministry has prepared the National Health Strategy, which will enhance the application and commitment of the State to the International Health Regulations 2005, with the participation of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and partners in the health sector, and work to add a number of precautionary and complementary plans to the national framework for health emergencies.
Al-Kuwari pointed out that the development of ambulance services and surgical facilities contributed to making Qatar one of the best countries in the world in the field of traffic safety.
A set of care services for people with special needs have also been prepared in 10 health centres, including providing training programmes for parents, launching the express services track, following up on the health status of people with special needs, and allocating sensory rooms.
A website for healthy ageing was also launched, memory and geriatric clinics were opened in 3 health centres, and geriatric advisory services were launched in emergency departments, in addition to the opening of a geriatric clinic at Al Wakra Hospital, as well as mobile centres opened in various places to provide home care services, mobile dental care services for the elderly, and nursing services for wound care.
The Health Cities Network was also established, and co-ordination committees formed for each city at the municipal level, and five municipalities.
National policies were also adopted to automatically renew the medical license for a period of five years for health practitioners working in the government sector, and a contract was concluded with one of the world’s leading companies in this field to develop the Qatar platform for exchanging health information.
Al-Kuwari stated that within the framework of the Ministry of Public Health’s interest in the quality of health services, HMC celebrated this year the 15th anniversary of the continuous and prestigious accreditation of its hospital network by the Joint Commission International (JCI). HMCs hospitals and facilities have received more than 40 accreditations from the committee over the past 15 years, which confirms HMCs application of international standards and its commitment to providing the best possible level of health care for all patients.
The Primary Health Care Corporation also received the Canadian International Accreditation for the third time and the People Centred Care Commitment award, in addition to the institution’s laboratories receiving the accreditation of the College of American Pathologists (CAP).
She also spoke about future projects in the health sector, and explained that the Ministry of Public Health, the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, the WHO and FIFA are co-operating to make the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 a beacon for promoting physical and mental health.
Preparations are underway to prepare the Third National Health Strategy, as one of the sectoral strategies of the national development strategy, in accordance with the wise directives of the Amir during his speech at the first elected Shura Council and with the aim of achieving the desired progress towards achieving Qatar National Vision 2030.
HE al-Kuwari extended congratulations and blessings on the occasion of National Day to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, His Highness the Deputy Amir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Thani and the honourable Qatari people, expressing the hope that the country enjoys continued prosperity, security and stability.