Qatar has set an ambitious target to achieve diabetes control by 2030, launching an aggressive prevention campaign as health officials reveal thousands of residents are living with the disease without knowing it.
The comprehensive national action plan combines community outreach programmes, enhanced screening efforts, and targeted interventions aimed at reducing prevalence rates and preventing deaths from diabetes and related non-communicable diseases.
As the country prepares to host the prestigious International Diabetes Federation World Diabetes Congress in 2027, Diabetes Qatar is intensifying efforts — from shopping malls to workplaces — to identify at-risk individuals and reverse what has become one of the nation's most pressing public health challenges.
Prevention of diabetes is one of the key healthcare priorities for Qatar and several programmes along with a strong action plan are being chalked out to achieve this goal, a senior official of Diabetes Qatar has told Gulf Times.
“Currently we are focusing on preventing diabetes among the population of the country. Our efforts are focused on this direction and we are engaged in several such activities to achieve this goal,” said, Dr Abdullah al-Hamaq, executive director of Diabetes Qatar.
Dr al-Hamaq said that several people are still living with diabetes but are unaware of it and Diabetes Qatar is taking steps to raise awareness about the condition among the public.
Diabetes Qatar is an entity under Qatar Foundation and an official organisation in the fight against diabetes in the country. Previously known as Qatar Diabetes Association, the organisation was established in 1995 to support adults, children and families living with diabetes in managing the disease and avoid debilitating complications and maintain good quality of life.
“Diabetes and obesity are among the most pressing public health challenges of our time. Prevention is very important and it is the best way to overcome the challenges of diabetes. Now, we are designing some prevention programmes. These programmes are created in such a way that everyone in the country can benefit from it and follow their own schedules to overcome diabetes,” explained, Dr al-Hamaq.
“Qatar has a real action plan for diabetes control to be realised by 2030. We are implementing it properly to make life expectancy grow in Qatar with lower deaths from diabetes and other non-communicable diseases,” he underlined.
Al-Hamaq stated that as part of the awareness campaign, teams from Diabetes Qatar regularly visit malls, organisations and many other public places to raise awareness about diabetes among the population of the country.
“We are focusing on the visit to the malls and other public places just to teach about diabetes and to inform them about the dangers posed by it. So, we meet people and conduct random tests. This turns out to be an opportunity as we discover people who have diabetes. We advise them to go to the health centres to take their detailed blood test and start efforts to bring down the diabetes level and get rid of it completely,” he described.
The official said that diabetes prevalence rate in the country has come down marginally as per the latest STEP wise survey conducted in 2023. “The prevailing rate of diabetes is lesser than the previous survey conducted in 2012. It has dropped by 0.3% from what it has been in 2012. Though marginal, it shows that we have been able to manage diabetes and control it well,” Dr al-Hamaq noted.
Qatar, last year launched National Action Plan on Obesity, Diabetes, and Modifiable Risk Factors for Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease 2024-2030, a pivotal step towards reducing their prevalence and impact on the community.
The action plan aims at several areas such as obesity reduction, enhanced diabetes management and risk factors control among others.
Meanwhile, Dr al-Hamaq revealed that preparations are well underway to host the International Diabetes Federation World Diabetes Congress 2027 to be held in Doha.
He noted: “Qatar’s hosting of the congress is a milestone for the country and for the entire region. The International Diabetes Federation Congress is one of the most significant global events dedicated to combating diabetes, bringing together healthcare professionals, researchers, and patient advocates from around the world to exchange knowledge and develop solutions to address the growing prevalence of the disease.”
“Selecting Qatar to host the 2027 congress underscores the nation’s commitment to advancing its healthcare sector and making a lasting impact on global efforts to combat diabetes,” he added.
