Minister of Public Health, H E Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, and Dr Salih Ali Al Marri, Assistant Minister of Public Health for Health Affairs, during the Qatar National Dementia Plan launch held yesterday.
Doha: The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has launched a four-year national plan to improve the quality of dementia care in the country.
The Qatar National Dementia Plan (2018-2022) was launched yesterday in the presence of Minister of Public Health H E Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, making Qatar first country in the Middle East working on a dementia plan for its local population.
The plan sets out seven action areas addressing sections of dementia care which will have an impact on improving the quality of care, in line with the Qatar National Health Strategy (2018-2022). The action areas focus on making dementia a public health priority by encouraging dementia awareness and support, improving dementia diagnosis, treatment, care and support, promoting risk reduction, developing information systems for dementia, developing support for carers and supporting research and innovation into the disease.
The Minister affirmed that the launch of the Qatar National Dementia Plan demonstrates the great care given by Qatar under the wise leadership of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to the health and well-being of all segments of society.
“Such great care is extended even further to include the elderly, especially in light of the growing number of people with dementia globally, which calls for including dementia among the public health priorities in Qatar. We seek to improve the quality of life for people with dementia, through the concerted efforts of all stakeholders and to promote public awareness and improve all the necessary services,” she added.
Several representatives from the MoPH, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), EHSAN - Center for Empowerment and Elderly Care and the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) were present during the launch. They included Dr Salih Ali Al Marri, Assistant Minister for Health Affairs at MoPH, Dr Mariam Ali Abdulmalik, Managing Director, PHCC and Sultana Afdhal, CEO of WISH among others.
Dementia describes a set of symptoms that may include disturbance in memory, thinking, orientation, ability to comprehend information, also affecting a person’s language and judgement. In addition, there can be changes in behaviour. These symptoms become severe enough to reduce a person’s ability to perform everyday activities.
Dr Hanadi Khamis Al Hamad, Chairperson of Geriatrics and Long Term Care Department at HMC, was recently appointed National Lead for the ‘Healthy Ageing Priority’ within the National Health Strategy 2018-2022. It was a result of her efforts in leading the Qatar Dementia Stakeholder Group which collaborated with the MoPH in making the Qatar National Dementia Plan a reality.
“If we don’t address the issue now of the growing prevalence of dementia, it will have far-reaching implications for our country. I am therefore delighted to see the positive support we have received from the government of Qatar as well as private and public organisations. This plan is designed to ensure Qatar is ready to meet the challenge of dementia with a coordinated, focused approach to care and research,” said Dr Al Hamad, who is also the focal point for the WHO Global Dementia Observatory project in Qatar.
According to the United Nations, around 50 million people have dementia in the world. In Qatar, more than 4,400 people over 60 years of age may have dementia. This figure is expected to rise ten-fold to more than 41,000 people by 2050 if no cure or improved prevention takes in place. In 2017, HMC has recorded at least 900 dementia diagnosis.
