HE the Minister of Public Health Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari has said that Qatar National Day is a cherished occasion for all the people of Qatar, marking a key event in history: the founding of the modern State of Qatar on solid foundations at the hands of the Founder, Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani, and the loyal sons of Qatar.
"On this occasion we are inspired by the highest meanings of faith and determination to work sincerely in an immortal patriotic spirit to provide the best for our homeland and our nation,” she said.
HE Dr al-Kuwari extended her warmest congratulations and blessings to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, to His Highness the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa al-Thani, and to His Highness the Deputy Amir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad al-Thani and to all Qataris on National Day.
She said that Qatar has established a strong, world-class health system centred around comprehensive health coverage for all members of society, thanks to the support from the wise leadership of His Highness the Amir.
The health sector works to improve the health of the Qatari community and meet the needs of citizens, residents, and visitors, and raise its services to the highest international levels, and to achieve the Qatar National Vision 2030.
HE Dr al-Kuwari added that the public health sector has witnessed an expansion of health facilities and efficient workforce to meet the needs of the population.
She cited statistics showing that by the end of November 2023, the number of hospitals and long-term care facilities in the public sector reached 19 hospitals and facilities.
The number of health centres in the public sector (including centres affiliated with the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) and centres managed by the Qatar Red Crescent Society in accordance with an agreement with the Ministry of Public Health) increased to 35, distributed across the various regions of the country, including six health and wellness centres, and the total number of health workforce in the public sector reached 29,960.
HE Dr al-Kuwari said that, at the same time, the private health sector witnessed a significant expansion by the end of November 2023, with the number of its facilities increasing to 10 hospitals, 21 one-day surgery centres, and 417 general and specialised health centres, including dental centres, in addition to 319 diagnostic centres (including medical laboratories, diagnostic radiology centres, dental and vision laboratories), 140 individual and corporate clinics, 135 health and nursing agencies, and 1,251 first aid units.
The total number of health workforce in the private sector reached 21,417.
The minister said that public health indicators show the significant improvement in the health of the population in Qatar, with the average life expectancy having risen to 80.3 years in 2021.
Qatar is also ranked first in the health and well-being index within the sustainable development goals at the level of the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean region for 2022.
HE Dr al-Kuwari said that the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 represented an opportunity to enhance physical and psychological health, in addition to the great work to respond efficiently to the health requirements of hosting the tournament and provide appropriate health services to visitors and residents.
The tournament contributed to creating a sustainable legacy that Qatar was keen to benefit from locally and globally, with the signing of a partnership agreement between the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), the World Health Organisation (WHO), FIFA and the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy contributing to strengthening the efforts that resulted in making the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 the safest and healthiest in history, and a model for ensuring that huge sporting events in the future are healthy and safe.
HE Dr al-Kuwari also spoke about the strategic achievements, saying that those achieved within the Second National Health Strategy include a greater focus on prevention and wellness, improving access to care, and developing services for groups most in need of care, such as people with disabilities, the elderly, children, and mental health.
One of the most recent launches in the strategic field is the launch of the Qatar Cancer Plan 2023-2026 "Excellence for All", which is based on the strong foundations that were established through the National Cancer Strategy 2011-2016 and the National Cancer Framework 2017-2022.
Both of these contributed to achieving excellence in the care of cancer patients in the country, with Qatar considered the first in the world in which the patient receives secondary medical care from a specialist within 48 hours immediately after he is suspected of having cancer, while the disease is diagnosed within two weeks, and treatment is provided within another two weeks.
HE Dr al-Kuwari expressed her pride that Qatar is considered the first country in the world to have all its municipalities obtain the title of Healthy City from the WHO.
She said that in the field of quality, Qatar is the first country after the US to obtain international accreditation for public health services at the national level from the American Board for Public Health Accreditation Services, in addition to the high-level accreditations for health institutions.
The minister cited the accreditation of the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) hospital network and Sidra Hospital by the Joint Commission International (JCI), five hospitals in Qatar being ranked among the top 250 academic medical centres in the world, and the PHCC obtaining Canadian accreditation according to diamond level accreditation standards for all four health centres, which are operated and managed based on a co-operation agreement with the MoPH.
The MoPH also received the WHO Award for World No Tobacco Day.
HE Dr al-Kuwari spoke on the launch of first phase of the health insurance system targeting visitors to the country, in implementation of the provisions of Law No 22 of 2021 regulating healthcare services within Qatar.
The health insurance system is aimed at supporting the development and organisation of the healthcare sector in the country, improve the populations health and their access to basic care services through an effective and sustainable healthcare system, and regulate healthcare spending.
In addition, several healthcare programmes and services have been developed.
The organ transplant programme has been developed to currently include lung transplant operations in addition to kidney and liver transplant surgeries, making the programme one of the most comprehensive in the region, and specialised clinics have been opened in several health centres to facilitate patient access.
The HMC’s ambulance service succeeded in achieving a response rate higher than the targets set for response time to emergency calls and aiding emergency cases for the eleventh year in a row, reaching the goal set in the first National Health Strategy (to achieve an average arrival to the scene of an incident within 10 minutes in urban areas and 15 minutes in external areas for up to 75% of emergency calls).
The ambulance service fleet includes air ambulances (helicopters), advanced ambulances, rapid response vehicles, four-wheel drive vehicles equipped for sand dunes and rugged areas, and bicycles that are used in parks and gardens.
In the field of technological development, HE Dr al-Kuwari said that e-health services have been enhanced, which has made the healthcare system connected through electronic systems that ensure the ability of medical teams to access patient records in various facilities of the public healthcare system, in addition to providing telemedicine services and home delivery of medicine.
The MoPH launched the new version of the Qatar National Formulary (QNF) via the ministry's website, which is considered a national database that provides comprehensive and updated information on drug information, drug registration status, regulations, and guidelines.
The list includes more than 4,000 officially registered drugs and is updated monthly.
In the field of international co-operation, and as a result of the pioneering role played by Qatar at the international level, and its strong support for the WHO in performing its tasks of promoting health and wellness for all, the Executive Council of the WHO elected Qatar on May 31, 2023 as President of the Council at its 153rd session for a term.
The WHO also selected three centres in Qatar to collaborate with the organisation: the HMC’s Geriatric and Long-term Service Department with the WHO Collaborating Centre for Healthy Ageing and Dementia (2023), the HMC Tobacco Control Centre with the WHO Collaborating Centre for Smoking Cessation and Treatment of Tobacco Dependence (2017), and Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar with the WHO Collaborating Centre for Disease Epidemiology Analytics on HIV/Aids, Sexually Transmitted Infections, and Viral Hepatitis (2020).
The role of these centres is to support the WHO and countries around the world in improving healthcare in these topics.
The MoPH also signed a memorandum of practical arrangements with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in radiation medicine and food safety, with the aim of establishing a framework for (non-exclusive) co-operation between Qatar and the IAEA in human health.
HE the Minister of Public Health Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari
