QRCS 1st annual scientific conference concludes

The 1st Qatar Red Crescent Society’s (QRCS) Annual Scientific Conference was concluded Saturday, in partnership with the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), Hamad Medical Corporation , Primary Health Care Corporation, Qatar Medical Association and Qatar Family and Community Medicine Society.Titled "Updates on Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) at the Primary Health Care Level”, the three-day event was attended by 26 speakers, 334 physical participants, and 414 remote participants from QRCS and other primary health care organisations in Qatar.The opening ceremony was attended by numerous senior officials from medical and academic institutions, including Dr Saleh bin Ali al-Marri, assistant minister for health affairs at MoPH, Sheikha Najwa bint Abdul-Rahman al-Thani, assistant undersecretary for migrant labour affairs at the Ministry of Labour, Sheikh Dr Mohamed bin Hamad al-Thani, director of Public Health Department at MoPH, and Dr Salem bin Nasser al-Naemi, president of the University of Doha for Science and Technology, as well as representatives of Qatar University, the National Human Rights Committee, the Qatar Armed Forces Medical Services, Qatar Charity, and Al-Ahli Hospital.QRCS was represented by Yousef bin Ali al-Khater, president; Dr Abdul-Salam Ali al-Qahtani, board member, director-general, Medical Affairs Division, and chairman of the conference; Faisal Mohamed al-Emadi, acting secretary-general; and directors of divisions and departments.Al-Khater referred to QRCS’s long history of providing medical services in Qatar. Its Medical Affairs Division provides services at workers’ health centres, under an agreement with MoPH; manages the country’s second-largest ambulance fleet; and holds medical courses and public health education workshops.He emphasised the significant growth of QRCS’s Medical Affairs Division over the years: "During 2022, the workers’ health centres received more than 1.2mn patients. This year, Medical Affairs Division obtained the platinum-level accreditation from Accreditation Canada having met 97.8% of the standard criteria of quality health services”.Dr al-Qahtani said: "The conference focused on certain chronic or NCDs, especially diabetes, in view of their prevalence, heavy burden on the health system, and too serious implications for some economies to deal with, let alone their psychosocial impacts that make them even harder to control.”According to him, the diversity of topics discussed by the conference gave the participants, across specialisations and levels, a great opportunity to learn, update information, gain experience, and spread awareness of how to treat patients with chronic diseases.