By Noimot Olayiwola
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The Supreme Council of Health (SCH) needs to work actively to improve co-ordination with other government bodies and ensure there are no gaps in a number of public health services currently running in the country, NHS states.
The public health service areas identified and to be focused on to ensure public health safety are road safety, food safety, emergency preparedness and environmental health.
Death rates from RTAs in Qatar are significantly higher than in other nations and RTAs are almost exclusively responsible for accidental deaths among Qataris and is also a major cause of injury-related death among non-Qataris.
“With 68% of RTA deaths among Qataris occurring between ages of 10-34 years, RTAs are a major cause of premature loss of life and have significant socioeconomic implications,” NHS reveals adding that although morbidity data were unavailable, injury and disability due to RTAs are also significant, likely to be in the thousands in terms of health years lost.
The documents recommend that to improve road safety, a multiple stakeholder body potentially led by the Ministry of Interior is required and the focus of the healthcare sector must primarily be on ensuring appropriate geographic coverage and timely provision of emergency medical services.
“Apart from this, the other areas of focus should be rehabilitation of accident victims,medical assessments of at-risk groups ( drivers of commercial vehicles) and monitoring, evaluation, research and policy advocacy by the Public Health department,” the document adds.
Also, the NHS recommends that Qatar needs to develop a national co-ordinated approach for food safety that entails clarifying roles and responsibilities among government agencies involved in food safety monitoring and establishing and controlling a Food Safety Authority (FSA) to be the sole agency responsible for food safety.
It maintains that comprehensive review of current food law and legislation and enactment of modifications are required; establishing appropriate specialised training for staff to support the activities of the FSA; and formalising national standards and strengthening procedures for notification of outbreaks of food-borne illness.
For the country’s emergency preparedness, the document recommends that there should be an enhanced co-ordination among stakeholders and ensuring communication and awareness of emergency preparedness plans.
Given the potential threats in Qatar from natural and man-made disasters, a plan for national emergency preparedness is vital, NHS asserts while acknowledging the country’s emergency preparedness plans, the implementation of which is supported by committees at various levels of authority within the government.
“It is recommended that Qatar should also make certain that a consolidated national plan exists and that it includes the following components: a clear disaster response framework; appropriate scenario planning; expanded healthcare capabilities; cross-sector participation; a public warning system; emergency shelters; strategic stockpiles; and awareness of the plans’ communication to all stakeholders, including public.
Also, while recommending the implementation of the Environmental Impact Health Assessment for all projects that could affect public health and the transition to a single authority to monitor air quality, the NHS mentions that there is limited co-ordination among the Ministry of Environment, SCH and the Municipalities – the three main bodies responsible for environmental health.
