Participants at one of the events.
Qatar Petroleum (QP)’s HSE Regulations and Enforcement Directorate recently hosted the 16th Industry Health Advisers Forum (IHAF) and the Clean Canteen Campaign, which were both aimed at ensuring the safety and welfare of workers within the oil and gas industry and of society at large.
In his opening speech at the IHAF meeting, Saif al-Naimi, director of QP’s HSE Regulations and Enforcement Directorate, emphasised that welfare of the workforce must always come first in the activities of industry operators.
He appreciated the continuous collaboration between the Supreme Council of Health (SCH) and QP on efforts to achieve the objectives of Qatar National Vision 2030, National Development Strategy and National Health Strategy 2011-2016 as well as on the implementation of best industry practices within the oil and gas industry.
The 16th IHAF was attended by more than 115 healthcare representatives from QP, SCH, the Ministry of Labour, QP’s joint ventures and subsidiaries, contractors, other oil and gas operators, Qatar University, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar and University of Calgary - Qatar.
In his speech at the event, Dr Mohamed al-Hajri, director of Health Protection and Communicable Diseases Control at SCH, noted that the forum was a welcome opportunity for knowledge sharing and updating all the stakeholders on various health issues. He also observed that the speeches and presentations covered many aspects of healthcare activities and were at the core of worker welfare in line with the State’s requirements.
The presentations and discussions included topics such as updates on the World Health Organisation’s International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005, the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), workplace wellness plan, psychosocial welfare, healthcare licensing and accreditation, occupational health, and quality improvement methodologies and success stories.
For the Clean Canteen Campaign, al-Naimi emphasised the importance of providing workers with healthy and safe food through effective cascading of information and requirements, as well as by increasing awareness among all stakeholders, operators and contractors. He also stressed to all catering contractors the importance of safe and healthy food by ensuring that they comply with the State’s legal requirements, industry guidance and procedures and others, as applicable. It was also noted that the planning team has been actively working on the strategy and planning for the campaign over the last eight months.
In his opening speech for the Clean Canteen Campaign, Sheikh Dr Mohamed al-Thani, director of Public Health at SCH, highlighted the commitment of Qatar to achieve excellence in its healthcare system and public health policies. He also underscored the importance of setting up and implementing the requirements for safe and healthy food.
He reiterated the commitment of the professional teams at SCH to continue to work with the oil and gas industry and support its initiatives.