Ali Al Khater, Chairman of the Supreme Communications’ Committee for Healthcare at MoPH
Qatar’s health sector has seen an unprecedented development in the past three years and proved to be capable of handling any crisis, said a senior health official.
Qatar has shown a significant success in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic. The country’s health system proved to be very solid and capable of facing any unanticipated health crisis, said Ali Al Khater, Chairman of the Supreme Communications’ Committee for Healthcare at the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and Chief Executive Officer of the Corporate Communications Department at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC).
“The country’s health system has professionally dealt with the crisis, making the State of Qatar to be classified as one of the lowest death rates in the world due to coronavirus pandemic,” he told The Peninsula.
He also said that Qatar witnessed, during the years of blockade, unprecedented achievements in the health sector. However, development in the health sector in particular and Qatar in general persistently continued to increase unabated.
He underlined that achievements in the health sector in its three levels — planning level represented in the MOPH; or primary health care level represented in the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC); or the secondary care level represented in Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) — have never been hampered or interrupted and that all previously planned health schemes and projects are going afoot by leaps and bounds.
Al Khater further added that the health sector in Qatar has been recently ranked the fifth in the quality of health care services at the international level.
Moreover, the health sector has succeeded in the implementation of the National strategy within the pre-planned schedules such as the Mental National Health Strategy which was 100 percent implemented in addition to the close follow up of the implementation of the National Strategy for Diabetes 2016-2022.
The Health Sector, also, launched a campaign to enhance community awareness of disease, follow up the implementation of the National strategy for Autism 2017-2021, started the application of 11 initiatives out of 16 and acknowledged the MoPH as one of the best government entities in complying with the rules and regulations.
He underlined that the blockade period also witnessed the opening of three new hospitals in Hamad Bin Khalifa Medical City (HBKMC) — Qatar Rehabilitation Institute; Ambulatory Care Center (ACC); and Women Wellness and Research Center (WWRC). These hospitals represent the biggest healthcare expansion project in the area. They considerably contributed in increasing the capacity of visiting patients to HMC.
Al Khater said that September 2018 witnessed the official opening of Hazm Mibaireek General Hospital in the heart of the Industrial Area of Doha city to join HMC’s network of hospitals.
This hospital provides high quality healthcare services for both outpatients and inpatients in addition to surgery and emergency services. The hospital also comprises a helicopter-landing pad for the life-flight, which secures the transportation of critical patients by helicopter to HMC within 7 minutes.
“This new Hospital is a material proof of HMC’s persistent endeavours and commitment to provide the best healthcare services as well as securing the appropriate capacity to provide specialized care services all over the State,” said Al Khater.
“This new Hospital also provides healthcare services at the vicinity of the most populated areas in the industrial area and the local community, which that alleviated the pressure from other hospitals of HMC, in particular HGH and Al Wakrah emergency departments.”
