27% annual growth expected in numbers of healthcare practitioners

Dr Jamal Rashid Al-Khanji speaking about the new systems in place at the QCHP yesterday. PICTURE: Jayaram.

By Ramesh Mathew/Staff ReporterThe number of healthcare practitioners' licenses in Qatar is expected to grow at the rate of 27% per year for the next five years, contributing to a cumulative growth of 140%, it was announced yesterday."The number of healthcare practitioners' licenses has increased by 40% from 2012 to 2014," stated Dr Jamal Rashid al-Khanji, acting CEO of Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners (QCHP).Qatar has close to 16,560 licensed healthcare practitioners at the end of this year compared to 12,335 in 2012, he explained. Official statistics proves that Qatar has a 22,460 healthcare professionals now against 15,135 two years ago (2012). However only 16,560 have registered with the QCHP and been issued licenses, said Dr al-Khanji. "Owing to the growing needs and requirements of the country in view of the continuous growth in population these days, the government is expecting the figure to grow at an average minimum rate of 27% per year," he reiterated.While briefing journalists on the initiatives of the QCHP to put in place a a better system to cope with the growing requirements of the country's population, Dr al-Khanji said the Council is working these days in tandem with a major global IT solutions provider to ensure better customer satisfaction through the enhancement of the present electronic system for registration and licensing.With the introduction of a new electronic accreditation management system, the QCHP hopes to ensure that the registration and licensing of all healthcare practitioners in the country's private sector would be completed by the end of the year.In the next two phases, which would be carried out in the next two years, the process of registration and licensing of all practitioners working in semi-government and government would be completed in line with the goals and objectives of the Qatar National Health Strategy, said the QCHP official.The council also hopes to educate all Continuous Medical Education and Continuous Professional Development (CPD) providers about the accreditation policies as early as possible.Dr al-Khanji said a technical support health desk has been allocated to receive any technical level inquiries concerning registration/licensing electronic system.An electronic accreditation management system, which is linked to the QCHP's Registration Department, has been set up to receive and manage applications for accreditation, submission of documents by healthcare practitioners, and also to providing information about all accredited CPD providers and communicate with all stakeholders, it was informed.Considering patient safety as a top priority, the Council has developed and implemented an electronic complaint handling system at its office. This is besides a safety alert system, that integrates with other systems already functioning within the QCHP, Dr al-Khanji added.