Blockade fails to halt expansion of medical facilities in Qatar

The ongoing blockade has had no negative impact on the construction of new health centres and development of medical infrastructure in the country, as work continues at the same pace as seen in the pre-siege days, it is learnt.Eleven new health centres (HCs) will be set up as part of the expansion plans while three existing ones will be replaced with new facilities, local Arabic daily Arrayah has reported, quoting an official source at the Ministry of Public Health. These include new health centres at the University, Al Waab, Muaither, Al Wajbah, Al Mashaf, Madinat Al Shamal, South Wakrah, Umm Al Seneem, Al Sadd, Al Hilal and Bani Hajar, while existing HCs will be replaced by new ones at Al Khor, Madinat Khalifa and Umm Ghuwailina, according to the daily.The source noted that some of these are currently in the construction stage while some are in the design stage. Others are still under planning.At present, the number of HCs belonging to the Primary Health Care Corporation amounts to 23, with the source pointing out that there are plans to increase that to 34 based on a stipulated time-frame.  In addition, Hamad Medical City includes a number of new hospitals, giving rise to the need to recruit more medical staff and professionals, besides related administrative and technical staff. Further, the source said the number of practitioners and staff in the health sector rose by 2% by the end of 2016, as compared to the previous year, amounting to some 31,462 employees. Since 2015, around 16,000 licences to practise health professions were granted through the Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners. These pertain to physicians, nurses, radiologists and laboratory technicians, the report added. Through 2016, around 84% new professional accreditations and approvals were in the public sector.