Health minister honoured with 'Visionary Leader Award'

Qatar's Minister of Public Health, HE Dr Hanan Mohammed al-Kuwari was honoured with the 'Visionary Leader Award in Health System Excellence' by the Arab Hospitals Federation during the Arab Forum for Healthcare Development which began on Monday in Doha.

The two-day forum, organised by the Arab Hospitals Federation is under the auspices of the Ministry of Public Health and supported by the strategic partner Hamad Medical Corporation, in collaboration with Arab ministries of health, WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean and other key stakeholders.

Dr al-Kuwari was presented the honour by the Arab Hospitals Federation president M P Fadi Alame and general secretary Prof Tawfik Khoja for her great efforts in the development and progress of the Arab health sector. Dr Khaled Abdul Ghaffar, minister of health and population of the Egypt received the ‘Excellence Award in Public Health Improvement.’

Dr al-Kuwari stressed the great importance of the forum's theme "Shaping the Future of Healthcare" and the important issues it discusses with the high-level participation of decision-makers, experts, and specialists from Qatar, the Arab region, and the world.

"In light of the developments and health challenges facing the global health system, the great importance of continuous work to develop health systems to be stronger, more resilient, and more sustainable, this forum is an important occasion to exchange the best experiences and successful practices in the region and the world to achieve the desired progress in the healthcare sector," Dr al-Kuwari said in a statement.

She also noted that Qatar is keen to exchange successful experiences and distinguished models and maximise their benefit locally, regionally, and globally, in a way that contributes to achieving Qatar's national vision and health strategies, to serve the Qatari community and to enhance Arab and international cooperation in the health field.

After the opening ceremony, there was a ministerial panel discussion on ‘ Future of Healthcare: Turning Challenges into Opportunities’ in which Sheikh Dr Mohammed bin Hamad al-Thani, director, Non-Communicable Diseases Prevention Programmes at the Ministry of Public Health highlighted the progress Qatar has made over the years in the health sector. “Strong collaboration with international partners, a clear vision, very effective and efficient system and focus on quality are some of the hallmarks of our healthcare management which have proved to make it a very resilient one.”

The other panelists were Dr Khaled Abdul Ghaffar, minister of health and population of the Egypt, Joseph Hazel, CE of Elegancia Healthcare and Na’am Jamshed, vice president, Government Affairs and Policy, EMEA Emerging Markets, Johnson and Johnson.

This year's forum covers several important topics, most notably the future of Arab healthcare, the integration of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, enhancing patient care, and the improvement of healthcare delivery, in addition to focusing on value-based care, sustainability, and digital healthcare transformation.

The forum is attended by decision-makers in the Arab health sector, including ministers, heads of health authorities, government officials, representatives from relevant regional and international organisations, and key decision-makers in the healthcare sector from major institutions and international companies.