Doha hosts global conference on mental health

The international conference on confidentiality and information sharing in mental health was held yesterday at Qatar National Convention Centre.
The conference was held under the patronage of HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani. It was organised by Mental Health Friends Association (Weyak), in collaboration with Hamad Medical Corporation, Primary Health Care Corporation and Qatar Charity.
The one-day conference was attended by HE the Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs Yousef bin Mohamed al-Othman Fakhro, and the Deputy Chairman of the Mental Health Friends Association (Weyak) Hassan bin Abdullah al-Ghanim.
The conference, which is the culmination of a series of events, programmes and activities held by Weyak, on the occasion of the World Mental Health Day that falls on October 10 every year, came up with a recommendation to be adopted as a national model for the sharing of mental health information.
The recommendation will be submitted to the competent authorities in Qatar.
The conference discussed the side effects of non-pharmacological psychotherapy, and confidentiality and information sharing from a legitimate ethical, social and legal perspective. A session on the challenges of confidentiality and information sharing in mental health in Qatar was also held.
During the session, local examples from Hamad Medical Corporation, Sidra Medical and Research Centre, Primary Health Care Corporation and Naufar Hospital were presented. The conference witnessed a session to host a number of patients and their families to talk about their challenges in the face of psychological disorder.
The challenges of confidentiality, information sharing and regional and international examples and experiences were addressed in this context.
The conference targets specialists and interested people and all sectors working in the field of healthcare in the public and private sectors.