DOHA: Healthcare facilities in Qatar saw an increase of 120 percent over the past three years (since 2010), according to the 2012 annual report of the Supreme Council of Health (SCH). The number of practitioners also surged, with a 25 percent increase last year in health professionals seeking a licence. The health sector is set for further expansion, with the opening of nine new hospitals and 18 primary health centres over the next few years. Two branches of the Medical Commission will also be set up soon, the Minister of Health H E Abdullah bin Khaled Al Qahtani said in his prelude to the report. Last year, Hamad Medical Corporation and SCH announced plans to add 836 hospital beds by 2015. Other projects include establishment of a national committee for early detection of diseases, preparation of a road map for emergency services and a nutrition programme and introduction of physical education in basic education. Qatar is working on new laws on psychiatric health and food safety and a new unit for air quality monitoring. A study is underway on pollutants causing cancer and new guidelines are being prepared for occupational health.
DOHA: The 46-storey ‘Doha Tower’ at Corniche has won yet another award for its outstanding looks and unique features. It bagged ‘The GCC Building Project of the Year’ award at the recentl ‘MEED Quality Awards for Projects 2013’, a press statement said yesterday. In June 2012, the tower was named the ‘Best Tall Building in Middle East and Africa’ by the Chicago-based Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
WASHINGTON: The US yesterday blacklisted the leader of the militant Al Nusra Front fighting the Syrian regime, as well as four top Syrian government officials, including the defence minister. Al Nusra’s chief Abu Mohammed Al Jawlani was designated a global terrorist by the US State Department, which said he had been tasked by Al Qaeda in Iraq with installing Shariah law across Syria. The Treasury, meanwhile, blacklisted four members of the Syrian regime as well as two entities — Syrian Arab Airlines, for transporting weapons, and the privately-owned 24-hour Al Dunya television, for airing forced confessions. The sanctions targeted Defence Minister Fahd Jassem Al Freij, Health Minister Saad Abdel Salam Al Nayef, Industry Minister Adnan Abdo Al Sukhni, and Justice Minister Najm Hamad Al Ahmad. The peninsula/AFP
