* FIFA president, WHO director-General and SC secretary-general confirmed as speakers

The Organising and Scientific Committee of the Qatar Health 2022 and 2nd Qatar Public Health Conference has announced that FIFA President Gianni Infantino, World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and HE Hassan al-Thawadi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), will be among the programme of world-class speakers at the upcoming conference.


Gianni Infantino


Taking place virtually from February 9 to 12, the conference is a product of a partnership between the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC).
Conference sessions will focus on preparations for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and Qatar’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. As leaders in these areas, Infantino, Ghebreyesus and HE al-Thawadi will each bring an "unrivalled level of expertise and experience" to the conference sessions, complemented by more than 100 international and local speakers, the MoPH has said in a statement.


HE Hassan al-Thawadi


Qatar is set to host the FIFA World Cup between November 21 and December 18 this year, with eight stadiums hosting the matches.
Healthcare teams from the MoPH, HMC, Primary Health Care Corporation and many other healthcare providers in Qatar will work together to provide medical services to teams and travelling fans. Sessions throughout the conference will explain the extensive planning and preparation that healthcare teams have been undertaking to ensure their readiness for the tournament, plans which are taking into account measures related to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
Sessions covering the pandemic will highlight the comprehensive measures implemented by Qatar’s healthcare system throughout the past two years to confront the virus, measures which have been central to Qatar having one of the lowest Covid-19 mortality rates in the world as well as one of the highest Covid-19 vaccination rates.
The Qatar Health 2022 and 2nd Qatar Public Health Conference is led by three co-chairs, who are all leaders in their fields: Dr AbdulWahab al-Musleh, adviser-consultant to HE the Minister of Public Health, deputy chief medical officer for CIS – HMC; Dr Hassan Ali Saoud al-Thani, head of Vascular and Trauma Surgery, HMC; and Dr Sheikh Mohamed bin Hamad al-Thani, director of the Public Health Department at the MoPH.
Qatar Health 2022 will offer a three-day programme, with multiple full- and half-day tracks, preceded by one day of pre-conference workshops and symposia.
Qatar Health 2022 sessions will display Qatar’s capabilities in the fields of mass gathering management, disaster medicine, infectious disease and trauma surgery. It will maintain a focus on preparations for providing quality care during mass gatherings and a pandemic response through a multidisciplinary team approach, with the addition of lessons learned and best practice. It shall provide opportunities for professional development for a wide variety of healthcare providers from a diverse set of disciplines and practice, according to information available on the HMC website
The 2nd Qatar Public Health Conference sessions will provide unique insights into Qatar’s public health capabilities in its preparations and measures to host a successful FIFA World Cup 2022 considering the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. A key differentiator of these sessions is their primary focus on the public health perspective, which will take on topics that tackle the future of public health.
The topics covered will include Health Protection and Communicable Diseases, Health Promotion and Non-Communicable Diseases, Food Safety and Environmental Health, along with other priority public health areas.
The tracks shall have a mix of direct lectures, panel discussions and pro-con debates; and interaction with the participants will be strongly encouraged. Experts from the national, regional and international health sector, the World Health Organization and other international organizations involved in mass gatherings as well as sports organizations, academic institutions, healthcare leaders, disaster response managers, global experts and government bodies, will be sharing best practice and lessons learned. Delegates will be able to share experiences, learnings and best practice as well as advances in mass gathering preparedness, pandemic response and planning as we prepare for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
The Qatar Health 2022 and the 2nd Qatar Public Health Conference will also provide participants with opportunities for continuing professional education, research opportunities as well as a forum to present their own research and findings, exchange ideas and foster constructive and highly productive discussions.
The conference is an Accredited Group Learning Activity Category 1 as defined by the Ministry of Public Health’s Department of Healthcare Professions - Accreditation Section and is approved for up to a maximum of 30.5 hours.
For registration and more details, one can visit https://www.hamad.qa/EN/All-Events/Qatar-Health-2022/Pages/default.aspx
Related Story