Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) recently hosted its sixth Annual Symposium of Community Mental Health Services in Qatar.
This year’s theme is 'Standing Up for Mental Health: Implications Beyond Covid-19', which highlights the importance of providing ongoing community-based mental health care during challenging times.
Mahmoud Saleh al-Raisi, chief of HMC’s continuing care group, said HMC’s Mental Health Service is proud to take a key role in providing a platform for dialogue among stakeholders, particularly around the future development of integrated mental health services in Qatar.
“Mental health and well-being is one of the priority areas in the Qatar’s National Health Strategy 2018-2022, which includes a specific focus on encouraging people to speak openly about mental health in an effort to reduce stigma and encourage early treatment. This symposium provides an important platform for stakeholders to discuss topical issues, including the growing demand for community-based mental health services amidst dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic,” said al-Raisi.
Iain Tulley, national lead for Mental Health and Wellbeing in Qatar and CEO of HMC’s Mental Health Service, explained that good mental healthcare is based on the effective integration of mental health services.
“Provide easier access to the right care, at the right time, in the right place is a key tenant of Qatar’s strategic healthcare plans and has been a guiding force for HMC’s ongoing enhancements to the mental healthcare provisions. The Covid-19 pandemic has had a detrimental effect on many people’s mental health and wellbeing, but the risk from infection has meant that traditional consultations had to be moved online. We have adapted our delivery of care to incorporate more telemedicine and thankfully this approach has resonated well with patients,” he said.
Dr Majid Ali al-Abdulla, chairman of Mental Health Services at HMC, said this is the sixth time that this important educational and networking event has been held, bringing together key stakeholders who are instrumental in the delivery of mental healthcare in the community.
“We have collaborated on a national level to establish a mental health helpline, which is accessible through the toll-free national helpline number, 16000.This has been a lifeline for many people experiencing heightened anxiety and stress as a result of the pandemic. The confidential multilingual helpline has managed over 20,000 calls to date,” said Dr al-Abdulla.
The community service expansion includes more mental health clinics offered in primary healthcare centres across Qatar as well as targeted training of primary health clinicians to support early diagnosis and intervention. Dr Samya al-Abdulla, deputy lead, National Mental Health Strategy and executive director of operations at Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), delivered one of the symposium keynotes on the challenges of mental healthcare during the Covid-19 era and PHCC’s approach to dealing with the challenges.
Dr Mohamed Ali Siddig Ahmed, clinical director, Community Mental Health Services at HMC and the symposium chairperson, explained the symposium’s theme highlighted the importance of partnerships among organisations and individual stakeholders across Qatar during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Substantial investment has been made to provide accessible, effective, and high-quality community-based mental healthcare services. The achievements have been made possible through the collective engagement from HMC, PHCC, Sidra Medicine and Naufar as well as other partners, such as Qatar Red Crescent Society and the Community Police, and support from the Health Profession Awareness Programme at HMC.
This year’s theme is 'Standing Up for Mental Health: Implications Beyond Covid-19', which highlights the importance of providing ongoing community-based mental health care during challenging times.
 Mahmoud Saleh al-Raisi |
“Mental health and well-being is one of the priority areas in the Qatar’s National Health Strategy 2018-2022, which includes a specific focus on encouraging people to speak openly about mental health in an effort to reduce stigma and encourage early treatment. This symposium provides an important platform for stakeholders to discuss topical issues, including the growing demand for community-based mental health services amidst dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic,” said al-Raisi.
 Iain Tulley |
“Provide easier access to the right care, at the right time, in the right place is a key tenant of Qatar’s strategic healthcare plans and has been a guiding force for HMC’s ongoing enhancements to the mental healthcare provisions. The Covid-19 pandemic has had a detrimental effect on many people’s mental health and wellbeing, but the risk from infection has meant that traditional consultations had to be moved online. We have adapted our delivery of care to incorporate more telemedicine and thankfully this approach has resonated well with patients,” he said.
 Dr Majid Ali al-Abdulla |
“We have collaborated on a national level to establish a mental health helpline, which is accessible through the toll-free national helpline number, 16000.This has been a lifeline for many people experiencing heightened anxiety and stress as a result of the pandemic. The confidential multilingual helpline has managed over 20,000 calls to date,” said Dr al-Abdulla.
The community service expansion includes more mental health clinics offered in primary healthcare centres across Qatar as well as targeted training of primary health clinicians to support early diagnosis and intervention. Dr Samya al-Abdulla, deputy lead, National Mental Health Strategy and executive director of operations at Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), delivered one of the symposium keynotes on the challenges of mental healthcare during the Covid-19 era and PHCC’s approach to dealing with the challenges.
 Dr Mohamed Ali Siddig Ahmed |
Substantial investment has been made to provide accessible, effective, and high-quality community-based mental healthcare services. The achievements have been made possible through the collective engagement from HMC, PHCC, Sidra Medicine and Naufar as well as other partners, such as Qatar Red Crescent Society and the Community Police, and support from the Health Profession Awareness Programme at HMC.
