Dear Subscribers, Here is the health bulletin prepared by Qatar News Agency (QNA), as part of the Federation of Arab News Agencies (FANA) health file.

Doha, April 14 (QNA) - Under the theme 'Health for All,' the State of Qatar is moving toward 2030 with a firm commitment to providing excellent and comprehensive healthcare to all residents. This marks a new phase in the journey toward realizing Qatar National Vision 2030 and the Third National Development Strategy (2024–2030), aimed at ensuring long, healthy lives for current and future generations.

By the end of 2024, all public health sector institutions, including the Ministry of Public Health, Hamad Medical Corporation, and the Primary Health Care Corporation, had launched their respective health strategies for 2024–2030. These strategies aim to meet the healthcare needs of the population according to the highest standards, while also achieving excellence and ensuring that Qatar enjoys the highest possible quality of life.

Through its Third National Health Strategy, Qatar is working to achieve several key healthcare goals, including increasing life expectancy to 82.6 years, reducing mortality from non-communicable diseases by 36%, lowering the infant mortality rate to 2 per 1,000 live births, and increasing the proportion of people engaging in at least 150 minutes of physical activity per week.

Director of Strategic Planning and Performance Department at the Ministry of Public Health, Huda Amer Al Katheeri, told Qatar News Agency (QNA) that the State of Qatar continues to develop its healthcare sector and promote the health and well-being of its population through the National Health Strategy 2024–2030.

This ambitious vision aims to build a comprehensive healthcare system that keeps pace with the latest developments and is founded on clinical excellence, sustainability, and innovation, she said, adding that the new strategy builds on the successes of the previous strategy (2018–2022) and aligns with the health priorities outlined in the National Development Strategy 2024–2030, all within the broader framework of Qatar National Vision 2030, which aspires to create a healthy society with a high quality of life.

The National Health Strategy 2024–2030 aims to improve individuals' health and ensure a longer and higher quality of life by focusing on the physical, psychological, and social aspects of health. It is dedicated to creating an environment where the entire community participates in achieving health and well-being goals, enhancing both preventive and therapeutic interventions to reduce the spread of diseases and improve the quality of healthcare. Huda Al Katheeri pointed out that the strategy relies on an integrated approach aimed at achieving the highest clinical standards while ensuring the sustainability of financial and environmental resources for future generations.

The strategy’s goals also include increasing local research and development, adopting innovative solutions, reducing non-communicable diseases, standardizing patient pathways, fully digitizing the healthcare system, and focusing on transition centers. These centers are a pivotal element in the healthcare system, working to rehabilitate patients and assist them in transitioning from hospital care to home or community care. This approach enhances the role of rehabilitation services, contributing to improving the quality of life for patients and accelerating their recovery.

The Director of Strategic Planning and Performance Department at the Ministry of Public Health explained that the ambitions of the National Health Strategy are reflected in a set of priorities that aim to achieve a radical transformation in the healthcare system. Efforts will be made to raise health awareness, empower individuals to adopt healthier lifestyles, and promote disease prevention and early detection. The State also seeks to promote the concept of 'Health in All Policies' by integrating public health into various national policies to ensure integration across different sectors, which will positively impact the health of the community.

In terms of healthcare services, the strategy aims to achieve excellence in providing care and improving the patient experience by developing integrated care models that encompass all stages of treatment, from prevention, treatment and rehabilitation, all the way to community and extended care. Improving the quality of primary and community care, while expanding the range of services offered in hospitals and specialized centers to ensure that all residents have access to advanced healthcare services that meet their needs efficiently and promptly will be prioritized as well.

As part of its efforts to enhance the resilience and sustainability of the healthcare system, the strategy places special emphasis on developing governance systems and enhancing transparency in managing the healthcare sector. It also adopts a health financing model that ensures the sustainability of the services provided.

The upcoming phase will witness a broad digital transformation in the healthcare sector, where digital solutions will be implemented to introduce new models of healthcare, enhance the patient experience, and maximize operational efficiency. Additionally, there will be a focus on developing a unified database to support evidence-based decision-making and precise analyses in healthcare. (MORE)