Dr Mohamed al-Thani and Moratti at the reception yesterday.
By Noimot Olayiwola/Staff Reporter
The Supreme Council of Health is collaborating with the Italian-based San Patrignano Community and Uninettuno University to launch an online master’s degree course in psycho-social rehabilitation, in a bid to further combat the problem of drug and substance abuse in the country and to ensure local treatment is up-to-date.
Some 5% of Qatar’s population has been found addicted to either alcohol or drugs.
Courses during the one-year master’s programme will be taught in four different languages – Arabic, English, Italian and French.
The members of the two delegations, led by Italy’s former education minister, who was also the United Nations Goodwill Ambassador in 2000, Letizia Moratti, were welcomed yesterday by the SCH Public Health Department director and National Advisory Committee for the establishment of addiction treatment centre Dr Mohamed al-Thani.
The delegation will be in the country until May 1 and a number of memorandums of understanding are expected to be signed during the visit.
Dr Mohamed al-Thani explained that the planned co-operation with both organisations will ensure that best medical service is being provided to drugs and substances addicts in the country.
“We are happy to be benefitting from the unique experience of the prestigious San Patrignano Community, which has been involved, for over four decades now, in the field of addiction education, prevention, rehabilitation and research,” he said while mentioning plans to develop further academic co-operation in the field by encouraging Qatar to be a hub for addiction treatment education in the Gulf region.
“We hope that such centre, which will be receiving the contribution of experts in Addiction Medicine, will provide an opportunity for practitioners in drug addiction treatment field in the region to obtain a Master’s degree in psycho-social rehabilitation through the Italian Uninettuno University,” he said.
The official added that the co-operation is one of the interests and priorities of Minister of Public Health and SCH Secretary General HE Abdullah bin Khaled al-Qahtani, who last year sanctioned that specialists from Qatar can visit San Patrignano Community in Italy, in co-ordination with Qatar’s Ambassador in Rome Sultan Saad al-Marikhi and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to benefit from the experience there.
Two officials from SCH comprising Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre medical director Dr Mounir Soussi and Dr Majed Abdullah will be visiting San Patrignano Community in Italy in October.
Speaking at the event, Moratti said it was important that Qatar, which is a high level country in education and research, aims to develop the necessary tools contrasting drugs through San Patrignano’s co-operation and expertise.
“The excellent results obtained by the therapeutic model of the community, already recognised at the European level, can be developed in Qatar, where the drug emergence is now increasing. Only through an international co-operation at this level, we’ll be able to join forces on prevention, fight and recovery from drug addiction worldwide,” she noted.
Also speaking at a press briefing organised after the reception, Dr Soussi said part of the agreement to be signed later during the visit include exchange of expertise between Qatar and Italy in the field of addiction treatment and rehabilitation using bio-psychosocial spiritual method.
“We are planning to form a committee which would lead to the establishment of a similar centre as San Patrignano Community either here in Qatar or elsewhere in the Gulf region,” he stated.
He maintained that creating such a centre in the region will ensure that patients are given chance to receive adequate treatment through social and or occupation rehabilitation or medicine.
However, the plan is to have a technical platform in Qatar where e-learning in addiction treatment and rehabilitation programmes can be offered, he said.