Speaker of the Shura Council H E Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim (top centre); Minister of Public Health H E Dr. Hanan Muhammad Al Kuwari (top right); and other officials attending the Shura Council session yesterday.
Doha: Shura Council yesterday held its regular weekly session, in “Tamim bin Hamad Hall”, chaired by Speaker of Shura Council H E Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim.
The session, which was attended by Minister of Public Health H E Dr. Hanan Muhammad Al Kuwari and a number of specialists in the Ministry, reviewed the Ministry’s efforts in the field of providing healthcare and developing the health system through the implementation of the National Health Strategy, and reviewed the most important achievements in this aspect.
The Speaker of the Shura Council welcomed the Minister of Public Health, appreciating the efforts made by the Ministry to implement the National Health Strategy and provide integrated and high-quality health services.
The Minister gave a presentation on the most important health issues and medical services provided by the state to citizens, and future plans for the health sector, as well as the most important challenges facing it.
She reviewed the Ministry’s achievements at the local, regional and international levels, especially in light of the difficult circumstances the world witnessed as a result of COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to responding to all observations and inquiries raised by members of the Council.
The Minister affirmed that the health system of Qatar is strong and enjoying a high and international level of quality and professionalism, thanks to the unlimited support by the wise leadership represented by Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
She added that MoPH is working with its partners in the health sector to improve the health of the Qatari community in accordance with its health strategies that aim to achieve the Qatar National Vision 2030, through its medical facilities equipped with the latest advanced technologies, and the expansion of these facilities in various parts of the country and providing them with professional competencies specialised in various fields.
The Minister noted that the health sector made many achievements at the local, regional and international levels, as the sector was able to implement a successful strategy to combat COVID-19 and reduce the disruption of life.
She said the health sector also succeeded in managing and implementing a health strategy for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, and provided its services to more than 50,000 patients at 100 sites.
The Minister referred to a number of development initiatives, including the launch of the first phase of the health insurance system, with the application of compulsory health insurance for visitors, in addition to taking a number of measures to address the problem of delaying medical appointments, by changing the appointment booking policy establishing appointment management in each hospital.
The Minister said that work is currently underway to launch the third national health strategy during this year, after the second strategy was successfully completed and more than 90 percent of its outputs were achieved, despite the difficulties witnessed due to COVID-19.
She also highlighted future projects for the health sector, which are in the interest of citizens and residents.
The Minister confirmed that the Ministry will take into account all the observations and proposals shared by the members of the Council.
The interventions of the members of the Council focused on the need to solve the problem of delaying medical appointments, which exacerbates the suffering of patients, affects the quality of treatment provided to them, and sometimes forces them to resort to private hospitals to avoid long waiting lists.
They also discussed the issue of hospital capacity, stressing the need to increase the number of beds to accommodate patients without delay.
The members of the Shura Council demanded the need to develop health facilities outside the city of Doha and expand the provision of services similar to those provided by the main facilities.
