Qatar support for WHO initiatives wins priase

The regional director of the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the Eastern Mediterranean, Dr Hanan Hassan Balkhy, has revealed that there is ongoing collaboration between the WHO and Qatar in numerous pioneering initiatives to advance critical health sectors in the Eastern Mediterranean.She highlighted that the initiatives include upgrading of health infrastructure and the enhancement of medical education to qualify medical practitioners, combat addiction, and improve emergency medicine.She hailed the significant support Qatar provides for the organisation's operations, whether in the Eastern Mediterranean or through WHO, or through direct support to nations.In conversation with Qatar News Agency (QNA) marking her visit to Doha, Balkhy emphasised that Qatar is a key supporter of the WHO's initiatives in the region, highlighting that her current visit intends to explore new fields of co-operation, along with the possibility of backing additional initiatives that contribute to beefing up public health in the region.She commended the positive role Qatar performs in this regard, as the nation has successfully hosted the 71st session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean in Doha in 2024.The Sport for Health initiative launched by Qatar and WHO marking the hosting of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 was among the foremost successful initiatives, she underlined, emphasising WHO's desire to capitalise on the Qatari experience in the upcoming major tournaments.Balkhy pointed to the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), which Qatar has been hosting for many years, affirming that there is close collaboration between the organisation and WISH, as both sides strive to significantly bolster this initiative.Qatar plays a pivotal role in combating epidemics and infectious diseases, as well as strengthening health security at both the regional and global levels, she said, noting the collaboration includes financial and technical support for a substantial number of countries in the region.The figures of material support Qatar provides underscore its profound commitment to backing global health efforts, thereby bolstering the nations' capabilities in addressing a variety of health challenges, Balkhy stressed.She shone the spotlight on Qatar's efforts to support the Palestinian people, especially in the Gaza Strip, emphasising that the Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) collaborated with WHO alongside the health group to distribute medical supplies to health facilities in Rafah, in addition to providing the QRCS's medical supplies to the Jerusalem field hospital, in support of the Palestinian Red Crescent Society in Rafah.In addition, Qatar hosted roughly 1,500 injured Palestinians who needed urgent medical care that was not available in Gaza, in co-ordination with the Palestinian Ministry of Health, WHO, and UNRWA, Balkhy highlighted, praising Qatar's role in providing treatment, including the fitting of prosthetics and medical rehabilitation for patients.She pointed out that there is significant co-operation between WHO and several Qatari entities such as QRCS, Qatar Charity, and Qatar Fund For Development (QFFD), which offer concrete efforts on the ground in support of humanitarian health issues.Balkhy, who assumed her position in early February 2024, underscored the importance of shoring up regional co-operation to navigate the health challenges faced by the regionShe reiterated that her visit to Doha primarily aims to extend gratitude to Qatar for its unwavering support for the region and WHO, particularly in the area of medical education, featuring meetings with several key players and officials to deliberate on an array of critical initiatives.The discussions revolved around new initiatives pertaining to providing healthcare, medical paraphernalia and medicines, in addition to enhancing medical security in the region, she said.She highlighted the latest initiatives being discussed with Qatar, including fostering emergency medicine programmes, augmenting the number of trained medical practitioners, and conducting scientific research on combating addiction.Qatar's experience in converting all its municipalities and educational cities into health cities can serve as a role model, she said.Balkhy highlighted the efforts being made to eradicate poliomyelitis, emphasising that Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only remaining countries worldwide where the wild poliovirus is still active. She stressed that reaching out to children in remote and mountainous areas, along with the security risks associated with these tasks, represents the formidable obstacle to eliminating the disease.She further noted that geographic challenges, rather than funding, are the primary impediment to the complete eradication of the disease in those two countries.Part of the visit to Qatar was dedicated to discussing avenues for backing these efforts, especially with respect to solidifying health infrastructure in remote areas to ensure fundamental vaccinations reach the children, she said.Balkhy added that she discussed with the officials in Qatar on bolstering emergency medicine through training health practitioners and hosting a strategic dialogue to augment their numbers in the region, in addition to collaborating in combating narcotics through scientific research and setting strategies that inhibit the proliferation of this phenomenon, which significantly affects the people's welfare and productivity.She lauded Qatar's experience in managing the Covid-19 pandemic, especially during the successful hosting of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.She underlined that WHO is determined to work side by side with the region's nations to strengthen health preparedness and alertness, acknowledging the existence of epidemics that necessitate taking appropriate precautions, such as quarantine and prevention, as the key to combating the potential prevalence of communicable diseases.Commenting on the health situation in the Gaza Strip, Balkhy highlighted that for two decades, Gaza had not registered any polio cases, but it is currently grappling with formidable health challenges due to the complete crumbling of infrastructure in the aftermath of the recent war.The menace of the resurgence of diseases includes the contamination of water and sewage on streets in the Strip, coupled with sharp reduction in vaccination rates since October 7, 2023, which led to the severe decline in children's immunity, she outlined.WHO had conducted an extensive polio vaccination campaign in Gaza last July, and despite the significant challenges, it was able to successfully conduct this campaign, she said adding that the organisation launched another campaign last month to curb the spread of the disease.Balkhy reiterated her special thanks to Qatar for its enduring support for the WHO's efforts. She extended her profound gratitude to Qatar and all its partners for their political, logistical, technical and material support whether through WHO, or through direct support to the region's nations.Such kinds of partnerships represent the sole way to rebuild the capacities of the Eastern Mediterranean and restore its health stature, she said. (QNA)