Doha, June 01 (QNA) - Qatar University (QU) hosted a lecture on the role of health operators and professionals in supporting and protecting human rights.

The lecture - held in collaboration with the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) - was delivered by HE Deputy Chairman of NHRC Dr. Muhammad Saif Al Kuwari, as part of the Dean lecture series, held this year under the theme of from medicine to serving society.

Speaking to the chamber, Dean of the College of Medicine at QU, Prof. Abdulkarim Said Al Makadma noted the instrumental role undertaken by the NHRC in propagating human rights culture and buttressing the society's awareness of their tenets.

It was imperative to reinforce cooperation among the academic and national institutions to mobilize medical professionals in terms of occupational excellence and human awareness, as well as societal responsibility, Prof. AlMakadma underlined.

Addressing the lecture, Dr. Al Kuwari stressed that the right to health is one of the fundamental rights enshrined in international human rights charters and standards.

He pointed out that numerous international instruments rendered by the UN- foremost of which the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights - stressed the human right to enjoy the highest possible level of physical and mental health.

Health practitioners, namely physicians, nurses, public health practitioners and those operating in the supportive health professions enjoyed a pivotal position that enabled them to promote these rights through professional practice, advocacy, and engagement in the design and development of health systems, Dr. Al Kuwari acknowledged.

  He noted that the runaway pace of technological change in the world had made the role of health professionals go beyond the provision of healthcare, to include shielding human dignity, promoting justice and equality, and deepening human rights tenets.

Al Kuwari further suggested that the right to health was two-fold, freedoms, which include individual autonomy, informed consent, and physical integrity.

The second one, he noted, was entitlements, which include access to quality and equitable health services that are available to all without discrimination.

Dr. Al Kuwari indicated that human rights-based approach was centered on substantive foundations that include nondiscrimination and equality, alongside ensuring effective engagement of individuals in decisions that influence their life.

These foundations, he said, included the principles of transparency and accountability, emphasizing that operationalizing these tenets helped build fairer and more inclusive and enduring health systems.

As the lecture proceeded, Dr. Al Kuwari highlighted the technological and ethical challenges associated with digital transformation and the use of artificial intelligence in the health sector, warning against the increasing reliance on cloud services without mature governance frameworks that ensure the protection of health data and patient privacy.

He delved into the challenges related to obtaining truly informed consent in the context of the use of AI-powered technologies that rely on vast amounts of data through complex and constantly evolving mechanisms.

Technological advancements in the health sector underscored the necessity of fostering digital culture and professional ethics among healthcare workers, ensuring the responsible leveraging of cutting-edge technology in a way that delivers benefit while safeguarding fundamental human rights and freedoms, Dr. Al Kuwari stressed.

He added that health professionals projected themselves as core elements in changing human rights tenets from legal documents into pragmatic practices that have truly materialized in the life of individuals and societies.

Al Kuwari went on to emphasize that building human rights-based health systems that are fair and comprehensive requires investing in capacity-building, supporting health workforces and deepening institutional climate that backs healthcare practices based on human justice and dignity. (QNA)