Visitors at Darb El Saai on Friday. Baher Amin / The Peninsula
The enclosure of the Ministry of Public Health attracted thousands of visitors yesterday offering them not only quality information on healthy lifestyle but also various free medical tests and vaccinations while some visitors also got themselves registered as organ donors.
Two main organisations of the Ministry of Public Health - Hamad Medical Corporation and Primary Health Care Corporation - through its stalls educated children in particular on healthy lifestyle with various engaging activities meticulously designed to attract them.
The most interesting and laudable activity was registration for organ donation. At the stall of “Organ Donation Centre”, visitors were given awareness classes on the subject. Organ donation centres provide facilities for willing donors to donate organs: deceased donation in which a donor donates body organs after death and living donation through which any donor can donate one of their two kidneys or part of liver while they are alive.
Talking to The Peninsula, an Arabic speaking expat who had just got himself registered as a donor said that saving one man’s life was equal to saving all mankind in Islam. An official of Organ Donation Centre said that she was not authorised to share any details with media but in her opinion the response from visitors of Darb El Saai was very good towards the noble cause. Hundreds of children kept on taking part in colouring and other artistic competitions meant to educate them about healthy and unhealthy food, dinning related hygiene etc. The dentistry stall too pulled large number children for oral check-ups.
“Kids as well as their parents take keen interest in dentistry stall where the dentist teaches them how to use toothbrush and other oral hygiene related habits,” said an official at the stall. Along kids and activities tailored for them, elders too fully utilised the services being offered at various stalls of Ministry of Public Health. The stall of “Kulluna - for a healthy heart” was the main attraction for the people where they took guidance from doctors on healthy heart lifestyle as well as got free cardio tests.
The people struggling against obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol were seen sitting in the queue for their turn to consult doctors. “I am a smoker and recently came to know that I was suffering with high blood pressure. Apart from other pieces of advice I have been instructed by doctors at this stall to quit smoking without procrastination,” said Abdulhamid.
Primary Health Care Corporation with “No More Excuses. Get the Flu Vaccine”, was there to give flu shots to willing visitors. Hundreds of people availed the opportunity and got flu shots at the spot.
The participation of Qatar Cancer Society in Darb El Saai helped visitors understand risk factors of cancer and how to prevent the deadly disease.
