(MENAFN- The Peninsula) The Peninsula
Doha: Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) hosted the seventh annual Qatar International Mental Health Conference during the weekend. As the main provider of specialized mental healthcare in Qatar, HMC has been a strong supporter of the government's ongoing efforts to highlight the importance of good mental health and wellbeing as a national priority and to improve access to mental healthcare services in the country.
Mahmoud Al Raisi, Chief of Continuing Care at HMC was among the attendees at the opening ceremony for the conference and said HMC is committed to taking a key role in providing a platform for dialogue among stakeholders, particularly around the future development of integrated mental health services in Qatar.
'From a public health perspective, we recognize the importance of encouraging open dialogue on a wide range of mental health matters to help raise public awareness and thereby reduce associated stigma. By encouraging early access to diagnosis and treatment, we will be in a stronger position to manage the risk factors and help our population remain healthier for longer, said Al Raisi.
The program for this year's conference featured the most extensive agenda to date and included a pre-conference day with intensive workshop sessions and two days of keynote presentations, oral and poster presentations. The first keynote presentation was delivered during the opening ceremony by the acclaimed Professor Jayashri Kulkarni, Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research
Centre in Australia. Professor Kulkarni elaborated on the importance of making women's mental health a global priority.
Iain Tulley, National Health Strategy Lead for Mental Health and Wellbeing for the State of Qatar and CEO of HMC's Mental Health Service stated the importance of targeted educational activities to raise awareness and expertise among healthcare professionals.
'The Qatar National Mental Health Strategy 2013-2018, one of the first in the region, articulated the vision for an integrated mental health system, which is underpinned by the Mental Health Law, which is currently being implemented. An integrated mental health system which is evidence-based and culturally aligned requires high quality, well-educated professionals who can bring and adapt expertise to the communities we serve in Qatar.
Our conference is designed to provide learning across our Mental Health Service and to improve awareness and knowledge among health professionals working across our system, said Tulley.
Tulley noted that Qatar's National Health Strategy 2018-2022 includes seven priority populations and five system-wide priorities that reflect both the needs of specific population groups in Qatar as well as health system requirements in order to deliver improved health outcomes to these groups.
Conference participants represented a variety of organizations from across the health sector, both in Qatar and from around the region. Their attendance demonstrated the collective commitment of major private and public healthcare institutions to promote shared learning and expertise that support an integrated mental health service in Qatar.
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