Healthcare sector witnessingu nparalleled growth: minister

The largest conference dedicated to healthcare quality improvement and patient safety in the Arab world concluded yesterday in Doha with over 2,500 delegates attending the three-day event.
The 6th Middle East Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare, an international quality improvement conference for healthcare professionals, was officially opened on Saturday morning. Speaking during the opening ceremony, HE the Minister of Public Health Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari said it had been a remarkable year for healthcare in Qatar, noting that the current rate of growth in services, facilities, and staff across the healthcare sector is unparalleled.
Dr al-Kuwari stated that this growth has been possible because of the commitment His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani has shown towards investing in the health of the people of Qatar.
“With over 40,000 patients receiving care at the three new Hamad Medical City hospitals each month, and Sidra Medicine having commenced delivery of its inpatient services, joined by the addition of six new Primary Health Care Wellness Centres that are providing patients with care closer to their homes, there has never been a more exciting time for healthcare in Qatar,” said HE Dr al-Kuwari.
Citing Qatar’s ranking by the Legatum Institute as 13th in the world for healthcare systems, Dr al-Kuwari added that growth and expansion of care facilities was only part of the equation. She highlighted the importance of the forum as a learning opportunity that supports thousands of healthcare workers who are committed to raising the quality of care provided to patients.
During the opening ceremony, held in the presence of Kuwait’s Minister of Health Dr Basel Hamoud al-Hamad al-Sabah and Oman’s Minister of Health Dr Ahmed Mohamed Obaid al-Saidi, Qatar’s National Health Strategy 2018-2022 was officially launched.
The Forum, which included more than 60 sessions delivered by over 20 international and 65 locally-based presenters, was developed by Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). Patient-centred care, joy at work, improvement science, patient safety and leadership, and capacity building were among the topics covered as part of the event’s theme of ‘Building a Culture of Safety’. Maureen Bisognano, president emerita and senior fellow at the IHI, delivered one of four plenary sessions entitled ‘New Ways for Courage and Caring’, exploring how care providers can use innovative ideas to improve healthcare.
The conference also saw the launch of the MyHealth patient portal, a joint initiative of HMC and Primary Health Care Corporation  that allows patients to access their electronic personal health record online and through a mobile app.
The conference also served as the backdrop to the unveiling of the Nursing Now campaign, a three-year initiative run in collaboration with the World Health Organisation and the International Council of Nurses that seeks to empower nurses, enhancing their influence and maximising their contribution to healthcare delivery.