Dr Rania El Tahir, Consultant, Internal Medicine at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC)
Doha: A healthy population is essential to a strong, prosperous society, and Qatar has been at the forefront of comprehensive changes to provide the public with easy access to world-class healthcare, said Dr Rania El Tahir, Consultant, Internal Medicine at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC). She highlighted the importance of World Health Day and its goal ‘Universal health coverage: everyone, everywhere,’ while, speaking to the media on Thursday.
“Each year World Health day is held under a specific theme. Since 2018 the idea of health for all is being promoted. It means health care services being easy to reach without financial stress. It includes prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation,” said Dr El Tahir.
“Qatar had started to implement that years back. It’s so easy to reach health care services here, we have expanded our services, hospitals and health centres have been opened in all areas,” she added.
Dr El Tahir pointed opening of the new hospital Hazm Mebaireek General Hospital for workers as a sample of taking the services near to the community.
“The hospital is in the areas where many workers live and workers, and the hospital is receiving good number of patients,” she said.
Dr El Tahir also stressed that the Emergency Department is receiving hundreds of patients every day and they are given all services free of charge. “Even if patients have to pay it will be a very affordable minimum charge for those who have a health care. Even if they don’t have health card it will be arranged quickly by social workers,” she said.
"Universal health coverage is World Health Organisation’s (WHO) number one goal. Key to achieving it is ensuring that everyone can obtain the care they need, when they need it, right in the heart of the community. But millions of people still have no access at all to health care. Millions more are forced to choose between health care and other daily expenses such as food, clothing and even a home. “This is why WHO is focusing on universal health coverage for World Health Day,” said Dr El Tahir.
“Easy access to healthcare is one of the basic needs of people. Easy access to healthcare services, without a burden on the individual will improve the quality of life of the person and community,” she said. World Health Day is marked each year on April 7 but countries are expected to continue working throughout to assure that everyone receives affordable health care services with easy access.
