H E Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, Minister of Public Health
Doha: Minister of Public Health H E Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari stressed that the Qatar National Day, with its lofty contents, promotes the authentic values of our dear compatriots that have been inherited through generations and derived from our religion and glorious history.
In a statement to QNA, the Minister said that these values are the basis of the Qatari personality and the pillar of renaissance, which elevates the human being to achieve sustainable development that takes into account the needs of the generation and future generations.
She added that the slogan of this year’s National Day ‘Our Unity Source of Our Strength’ quoted from a speech by Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, embodies an aspect of the authentic values, adding that unity and love among the Qatari people and their wise leadership are the sources of strength and the basis for building this dear homeland and its progress on solid foundations.
The minister highlighted that what distinguishes Qatar National Day celebrations this year is that it coincides with Qatar’s hosting of the largest football sports tournament, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, and welcoming the world to the most popular football event, explaining that this would contribute to familiarising the world with Qatar’s culture, glorious history, values of tolerance, honouring the guest and openness to other cultures while cherishing Qatari identity and values.
On this occasion, the Minister of Public Health spoke about the achievements of the health sector in Qatar and said that Qatar has established a strong health system at a high and global level.
The Minister explained that the health system in Qatar is centered on the importance of all members of society having access to high-quality health care through hospitals equipped with the latest modern medical technologies, the expansion of the opening of primary health care centers throughout the country, the development of services, and an efficient workforce to ensure that all members of society receive advanced care.
She indicated that in November 2022, Father Amir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani opened Aisha bint Hamad Al-Attiyah hospital, which is the second largest hospital in Hamad Medical Corporation after Hamad General Hospital in terms of size and capacity.
She added that during this year, new facilities were also opened and established at Hamad Medical Corporation, most notably Al Maha Pediatric Specialized Care Center, the permanent intensive care unit, the physiotherapy and orthopedic unit, a specialized smoking cessation clinic, the Advanced Wound Care Center among others.
The number of health centers in the public sector, including centers affiliated with the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) managed by the Qatar Red Crescent in accordance with an agreement with the Ministry of Public Health, increased to 33 centers during the current year, distributed across different regions of the country, compared to 24 centers in 2011.
The private health sector witnessed a significant expansion, as the number of its facilities increased during the current year to reach 10 hospitals, 19 day surgery centers, 390 general and specialized health centers, including dental centers, in addition to 31 diagnostic centers, including medical laboratories, diagnostic radiology centers, and dental laboratories.
The number of health workers in the public and private sectors has also increased to 46,371 health workers this year compared to 20,682 health workers in 2011.
The Minister said that in addition to the great work of the efficient health response to the requirements of hosting the FIFA cup Qatar 2022, the Ministry has been keen to create a sustainable legacy of health and sports that benefits locally and globally.
In addition to the services available at regular healthcare facilities and locations, health services are provided to fans through more than 100 clinics in stadiums, fan areas and accommodations, 110 ambulances, and 212 mobile medical units, while 2,275 employees work in providing health services at the World Cup sites, while 4 hospitals affiliated to Hamad Medical Corporation have been allocated for urgent non-emergency patients.
