* Monitoring and tracing helped us detect and control Covid-19 cases   l Health centres were open for testing   
* Crisis made it a must for us to advance and grow more than ever


Dr Mariam Abdul Malik, the managing director of Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), stressed that from the onset of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, Qatar’s health sector has been working relentlessly, 24/7, to safeguard the community; not to mention the diligent efforts of HE Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari, the Minister of Public Health, who followed up on a daily basis on the responses to every directive to handle the crisis and provide optimal health services that meet top international standards. 
According to Dr Mariam, Qatar and its leadership made it a priority to provide nationals and expatriates access to high-quality health services and building a healthy society. As such, PHCC was committed to meet the strategic recommendations with respect to healthcare and facilitate access of primary health services to individuals and families. 
In a statement, Dr Mariam emphasised that ‘Health for All’ is not merely a slogan but is rather a PHCC strategic approach founded on a well-established workplan to offer care across the primary and acute sectors to best support a person’s health needs, through use of multi-disciplinary clinical teams and in health locations where people can be cared for in the community, closer to their homes. In this way, we are able to serve each and every individual.  


Service level meets international standards
Dr Mariam stated that the level of service provided by the health sector in Qatar meets international standards with respect to quality, speed and availability of human and material resources to create a fit and healthy society that has the awareness that ‘prevention is better than cure’. It is aligned to the National Health Strategy 2018-2022 that prioritises educating individuals about a healthy lifestyle, along with providing best-in-the-class healthcare services to nationals, expatriates and visitors. 


PHCC strategy 
Dr Mariam said that PHCC launched its Corporate Strategic Plan 2019-2023 under the slogan ‘A Healthier Future for Our Families’. The plan comprises six priority areas, 20 strategic goals and 80 strategic activities. Two of the priority areas relate to the patient through the high-quality integrated family medicine model of care and focus on preventative health. The four remaining priority areas relate to highly skilled and motivated workforce, strong partnerships with patients, families and communities, enhanced primary care system and collaboration for care and patient safety, and effective, innovative organisation. 
Early testing and detecting
With regards to how the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and the health establishments affiliated therewith succeeded in controlling the pandemic, Dr Mariam said that: “Qatar’s strategy in responding to Covid-19 relied to a great extent on testing people, tracing cases and ensuring swift quarantine in order to curb the spread of the virus in the community.”
She added that early detection of positive cases made it possible to treat them at an early stage thereby preventing any further complications, which helped reduce the number of deaths due to Covid-19 in Qatar, and maintain one of the lowest Covid-19 mortality rates in the world. 


Crisis… lessons learned
On the lessons learned, Dr Mariam said that: “Over the past few months, we had to learn and grow faster than ever before. We will continue to stand up to any forthcoming challenges with the same level of determination, perseverance and quality that we have been committed to. We are proud of the progress made, but continue to work closely with our partners in our battle against Covid-19. At the same time, we can’t emphasise enough the importance of adherence to precautionary measures, not taking any chances, and taking the matter seriously, since the risk still remains. I would also like to express my gratitude to the special partnership we have with health establishments across the country which proved to be successful during this pandemic.” 


Health Tactical Command Team
Dr Mariam also spoke about the Covid-19 Health Tactical Command Team she is leading, which comprises clinical and operational leads from MoPH, PHCC and Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) 
She said that: “I had the honour of winning the trust of HE Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari, the Minister of Public Health. The team was formed to lead the process of planning and implementing all the community activities undertaken to curb the spread of Covid-19. 
It was set up to lead the strategic planning and execution of the quarantine facilities in Qatar, including their capacity planning and management, developing policies and procedures related to quarantine practices, and provide healthcare in closed zones such as the Industrial Area, whilst ensuring alignment with the broader healthcare services.
“The team is also responsible for planning and implementing community testing in Qatar and had succeeded in expanding accessibility to testing via Test and Hold health centres, drive-through facilities and more recently Home healthcare. Furthermore, the team ensured adapting the existing policies and procedures to meet the emerging needs of people in the country. 
The team is also in charge of supervising the procedures of testing travellers and facilitating the entry of visitors to Qatar. Currently, the Team is working with MoPH to test students and the administrative and teaching staff to help limit the spread of virus.”
Ongoing support by the Minister
Dr Mariam said: “On behalf of all members of the team, I would like to extend my gratitude to HE Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari, Minister of Public Health, for her leadership and ongoing support, and ensuring our work meets the highest standards. We have invested in this ongoing support, follow-up and direction to handle the crisis with the least possible damages and optimal outcomes.” 


Strengths of the health system
According to Dr Mariam, Qatar’s strategy in responding to Covid-19 mainly relied on testing community members, tracing positive cases and putting them in quarantine thereby minimising the spread of infection in the community. 
“Whilst we are still battling Covid-19, I would like to express my appreciation to the efforts of the Tactical Leadership Team that is working relentlessly due to its commitment to protect the health and well-being of the entire population in Qatar.” 
During this crisis, the adaptation of policies and procedures to meet the new needs of the population had a huge impact on enhancing the strength of our country and health system. The same is true for PHCC which currently provides, through its health centres, several home services, virtual consultations, and drive-through testing at designated facilities to support safe access to healthcare whilst adhering to social distancing rules.
“We call on all high-risk groups and their families to utilise our services, including high-quality virtual consultations, home visits by health professionals, and prebooked drive-through testing at the designated health centres, including Al Thumama, Leabaib and Al Waab,” Dr Mariam said.


PHCC healthcare services
On healthcare services provided by PHCC’s health centres and the work undertaken during Covid-19, Dr Mariam said: “We maintained some of the vital services provided to patients such as well-baby and vaccinations, ultrasound and premarital testing clinics, which continued operating at Leabaib, Airport, Al Khor, Al Rayyan and West Bay health centres. We request all patients to visit the health centres only if necessary and only if medical consultation is imperative. Otherwise, patients may access regular health services online through virtual consultations provided by PHCC. 
“Finally, I would like to make a special mention of the urgent care units at Muaither, Abu Baker, Rawdat Al Khail, Al Shahaniya, Gharafat Al Rayyan, Al Ka’aban, and Al Ruwais Health Centers. The teams here have worked tirelessly, with a smile on their face and did a wonderful job since the beginning of the pandemic.