‘Extra efforts made to ensure drug stockpiles’

Extra efforts and resources went into dealing with the consequences of the blockade for the procurement of drugs to ensure adequate stockpiles, it was observed at a conference hosted by Qatar University College of Pharmacy (QU-CPH) on the ‘Medication Sector in Qatar: Hand in Hand Facing the Blockade’.The two-day ‘first-of-its-kind’ conference, which concluded yesterday, aimed to provide an in-depth understanding of the unjust blockade’s impact on medication security in Qatar and identify the various opportunities and challenges of achieving an independent medicinal identity in Qatar, QU said in a press statement.The event served as a platform to discuss the impact of the blockade on the right to health under the international law, understand the process of ensuring access to medicine in Qatar pre- and post-blockade, suggest therapeutic alternatives for unavailable and/or available medications, explore issues facing the pharmaceutical industry in Qatar and the country’s current emergency preparedness plan and risk management for health, including human resources and medication supply, and describe curriculum development plans for capacity building at CPH and the persistent demand for certified continuous professional development programmes, the statement noted.The event brought together more than 150 experts from QU, Ebn Sina, the Ministry of Economy and Commerce, Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Qatar Pharma, Qatar Pharmaceutical Industry and Qlife. They shared their expertise and experience to address the need of building and preserving medication security in Qatar. Attending the opening ceremony were QU president Dr Hassan al-Derham, QU vice-president for Medical and Health Sciences and College of Medicine (CMED) dean Dr Egon Toft, CPH dean and chairperson of the Conference Advisory Committee Dr Mohamed Diab, HMC deputy chief medical officer and QU Health director of Clinical Affairs Dr Abdullatif al-Khal, director of Research and Graduate Studies, Medical and Health Sciences Office Dr Feras Alali, CPH associate professor, head of the Clinical Pharmacy and Practice Section and chair of the Conference Organising Committee Dr Maguy El Hajj, CPH associate professor, chair of the Pharmaceutical Sciences Section and chair of the Conference Scientific Committee Dr Fatima Mraiche, and HMC consultant Dr Jassim Fakhro, as well as members of QU leadership, faculty, students and staff.The first day featured a keynote speech by Dr al-Khal on ‘Hand in Hand in Facing the Blockade: Impact of the Blockade on Access to Medicines’. Dr al-Khal highlighted the economic sanctions and their impact, the National Health Strategy, the consumption of medications at the national level, the national formulary, the governance structure of medications management, the role of pharmacy and therapeutics committees, and the negative impact of the blockade on healthcare and pharmaceuticals.It also included a panel discussion titled ‘Regulatory, Drug Supply, Academia and Pharmaceutical Industry: Working Together Facing the Blockade’, moderated by Dr Fakhro.The second day featured many discussions focused on three main themes: ‘Medication Management and Accessibility to Medication in Qatar’, ‘Building Pharmaceutical Industry and Innovation in Qatar’ and ‘Building Human Capacity in Qatar’. It also included two panel discussions titled ‘Building Pharmaceutical Industry and Innovation: Current Challenges and Future Directions’ and ‘Medication Security for Qatar’ moderated by Dr Alali, as well as a workshop on ‘Qatar Generic Medicines Policy’ delivered by Dr Mohamed Azmi Hassali, professor at Universiti Sains Malaysia School of Pharmaceutical Sciences.Also on the programme were numerous oral presentations by speakers from QU, HMC, MoPH, Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners, Qlife, Qatar Pharma and Universiti Sains Malaysia. The main topics included ‘The Right to Health Under International Law’, ‘Ensuring Access to Medicine in Qatar’, ‘Pharmaceutical Industry in Qatar’, ‘Intellectual Property, Technology Transfer, and Local Production to Increase Access to Medicines’, ‘Addressing and Sustaining Human Capital Development for Health through Professional Development in Qatar’, ‘Addressing Human Capacity Building for Health from Academia’s Perspective’ and others. In his remarks, Dr al-Derham said: “We are pleased to host the first-ever conference on the ‘Medication Sector in Qatar: Hand in Hand Facing the Blockade’, organised by the College of Pharmacy at Qatar University. The conference is an important initiative that shows the pivotal role played by the college to unite the efforts of the various sectors and to raise awareness on the ways that are adopted by the health care sector to face the blockade.“There is no doubt that the sudden and unjust blockade imposed on Qatar violates all international legislations with regard the patient’s right to access to healthcare and treatment. This illegal blockade was intended to have an impact on normal life, but Qatar has succeeded to overcome the challenges by transforming them into opportunities that contribute to building capacities and to sustainable development. Additionally, the blockade has been a turning point to search for substitutes to reduce its negative impact. In this context, Qatar worked tirelessly to support future plans and the goals of the 2030 national vision. These plans cover all the country’s sectors in general and the health sector in particular as Qatar places the healthcare sector on top of its priorities.”Dr Diab said, “The unjust blockade is a decisive moment in Qatar’s history and a challenge that puts every institution and every individual in front of a huge responsibility. The conference serves as a significant platform to bring together many stakeholders and experts from the academic, industrial, governmental and pharmaceutical sectors in Qatar to share their expertise and experience to address the need of building and preserving medication security in Qatar.”Dr al-Khal noted, “The negative impact of the blockade imposed on Qatar by its neighbours went beyond political, economic and social dimensions to adversely affect healthcare, including our access to medications. The impact is bilaterally damaging and is not limited to Qatar. Extra efforts and resources went into dealing with the consequences of the blockade for the procurement of drugs to ensure adequate stockpiles and to maintain the pipeline of pharmaceuticals. We proved to be capable and resilient in dealing with the blockade. We must make use of the lessons learned from the current situation in planning our pharmaceuticals strategies.”