PHCC Managing Director: QND occasion to renew allegiance, highlight efforts towards excellence

Managing Director of the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) Dr. Mariam Ali Abdulmalik said that Qatar National Day is an occasion to renew the pledge of allegiance to HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, and to highlight the efforts of the wise government and its outstanding work to constantly maintain Qatars position at the forefront of nations, advancing confidently towards the future, with the countrys loyal, steadfast, creative and self-confidence people rallying united around Qatars wise leadership.
She added that the National Day commemorates the glories of Qatars past, its present achievements, and its promising future prospects of development and prosperity, in light of its peoples accomplishments in various fields locally and internationally.
The PHCC Managing Director said that the PHCC, operating under the Ministry of Public Healths umbrella, is an active partner in implementing the National Health Strategies of 2011-2016 and 2018-2022, as well as the Qatar National Vision 2030. Moreover, PHCC is also leading the healthcare systems shift from curative care to preventive care.
The PHCC Managing Director explained that following PHCCs celebration of its 10th anniversary last year, 2023 represents the best beginning to a new era of progress and achievement, in a testimony to the Corporations tireless endeavor to advance the healthcare sector in Qatar over the past decade, achieving its vision of being one of the pioneers in transforming the healthcare and well-being of the population of Qatar, and always remaining true to its mission.
Commenting on the main features of the Third National Development Strategy within the framework of Qatar National Vision 2030, the PHCC Managing Director Dr. Mariam Ali Abdulmalik said that the PHCCs new institutional strategy plan 2024-2030 will focus on changing the way Primary health care services are provided, in accordance with what is called for by the new Qatar National Health Strategy 2024-2030, as well as the new National Development Strategy of the State of Qatar 2023-2030, which is to focus on population health, and ambitious goals have been set to improve health outcomes and improve quality, and access to services, as well as a focus on sustainability and resilience through an emphasis on preventive healthcare.
PHCC is proactively identifying common risk factors and working to reduce them, such as: smoking, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol levels, a process that significantly reduces chronic conditions requiring expensive and long-term medical care, which in turn aids the healthcare sector redirect its resources to other healthcare needs, shaping a more comprehensive, sustainable, and efficient healthcare system.
By actively promoting healthy lifestyles and providing access to smoking cessation clinics, wellness and mental health services, early detection services of breast, intestinal, and colon cancer, vaccinations, and public health awareness campaigns, PHCC is empowering individuals to be actively evolved in their health and well-being, which will help prevent the development of serious diseases and chronic conditions, in turn enhancing the health and well-being of the general population.
Dr. Mariam Ali Abdulmalik added that the corporation will conclude this year implementing the PHCC Corporate Strategic Plan 2019-2023, under the slogan "A Healthier Future for Our Families." adding that PHCC is about to complete setting its Corporate Strategic Plan for the coming four years, to focus on improving access to health care services, and enhancing the general well-being of society.
Despite the public health challenges Qatar faced in recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the countrys diligent medical and safety preparations to host the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Qatar was able to turn these challenges into successful case studies, with the COVID-19 pandemic handled efficiently and effectively up to the moment when the World Health Organization declared the end of the COVID-19 global emergency, as well as Qatars great success in delivering an exceptional and unprecedented World Cup edition.
PHCC is keen on continuing to provide excellent and innovative healthcare services via its Health Centers and new digital services, with a constant commitment and allocation of resources to develop its services.
PHCC currently employs 7,500 staff members who operate 31 healthcare centers across the country, along with seven wellness facility centers, all serving approximately 1.8 million patients. PHCC services include specialized clinics, family medicine, woman and child health, dentistry, school healthcare services, home care, mental healthcare, in addition to wellness and preventive health services, early detection services for breast and intestinal cancer, and annual smart screening.
Aside from PHCCs Health Centers, the corporation also has wellness centers that provide comprehensive wellness services, focusing on promoting health lifestyle and quitting unhealthy ones, equipped with facilities including: gyms, swimming pools, antenatal classrooms, and spas, along with general medicine and specialized clinics.
The Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) is accredited at a Diamond Level by Accreditation Canada for the third cycle, valid until 2024.
The number of registrations in PHCC Health Centers increased by 3.4 percent from 2022, reaching 1,769,075 registered as of November 2023.
PHCC Health Centers recorded 3,743,691 visits/consultations in 2023 (until November), 8.5 percent of which were virtual and over the phone consultations, with a monthly average of 374,369 visits/consultations, where family medicine clinic visits constituted the largest portion of total visits/ consultations in 2023 (until November) at 63.1 percent.
As of November 2023, PHCC conducted a total of 8,153,836 laboratory procedures and 186,709 diagnostic radiology procedures, in addition to dispensing 6,467,375 different types of medicines, while providing 4,288 home deliveries of medicines.
Thanks to its commitment to best healthcare standards and practices, PHCC received the Accreditation Canadas Platinum level for the first time in 2014, to then receive the Diamond level twice in a row, in 2017 and 2021.
The Corporation has developed plans to meet the requirements for Accreditation Canadas Diamond level for the fourth cycle scheduled for 2024. In April 2023, a survey was conducted to assess PHCCs current readiness and its compliance with the accreditation standards, in addition to identifying areas of improvement.
The PHCC Managing Director Dr. Mariam Ali Abdulmalik added that the PHCC takes pride in receiving another national award and in another field of excellence, when it ranked first among all government institutions and agencies with a compliance rate of 94 percent, in the fifth stage for the years 2020-2021, of the requirements of the Government Excellence Award.
The PHCC seeks to establish four new health centers in the future, which are: Nuaija, New Umm Ghuwailina, and New Madinat Khalifa Health Centers in Doha Municipality, and Al Thamid Health Center in the Al Rayyan Municipality, she added.
Dr. Abdulmalik explained that the PHCC continues its endeavor to be the first choice and the first and continuous focal point for primary health care recipients in the State of Qatar, through a vision that eyes improving primary health care and wellness services, which are comprehensive, integrated, and affordable. Since its establishment, the PHCC has expanded its network of health centers to 31 centers distributed over three regions: the central region, the western region, and the northern region, located in the city of Doha and the rest of the populated areas throughout the country to provide a diverse range of health, preventive and wellness services, she added.
The PHCC Managing Director affirmed that the PHCC's person-centered care approach will enable it to better serve the community, by ensuring that the care provided to patients considers and responds to their individual needs and priorities. Such an approach would also support the Corporation's efforts to identify areas of improvement, address patient-related issues, and enhance the overall patient experience, leading to improved levels of patient satisfaction with the provided health services, and promoting better health outcomes for them, she explained.
Dr. Mariam Ali Abdulmalik asserted that the PHCC focuses on comprehensive and integrated care to improve patients access to services in a timely manner, across all levels of healthcare providers, through enhancing coordination and cooperation between the Corporation and Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) to better attend to the health needs of patients.
The Family Medicine model applied in all health centers is a key element in providing integrated and comprehensive care to individuals and families, as the services are provided on the basis of medical history of the service recipient, and within the context of the family and community. It also ensures that better coordinated care services are provided through multidisciplinary teams stationed in health centers close to patients places of residence.