(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Fazeena Saleem |
The Peninsula
The World Health Organization (WHO) has awarded the 'Healthy City' status to two municipalities in Qatar as well as Qatar Foundation's Education City for their commitment to creating an environment conducive to well-being of the population.
Doha and Al Rayyan Municipalities were recognised as 'Healthy Cities' and Education City as 'Healthy Education City', in the presence of Prime Minister and Minister of Interior H E Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani yesterday.
'Healthy City' status is awarded to cities around the world that meet the criteria set by the WHO.
Minister of Public Health, H E Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari; Minister of Municipality, H E Abdulla bin Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Subaie; Vice-Chairperson and CEO of Qatar Foundation, H E Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani; WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, Dr. Ahmed Al Mandhari; a number of Their Excellencies and others were present at the ceremony held by MoPH in collaboration with the Ministry of Municipality and QF in Msheireb Downtown. The 'Healthy City' programme is a global WHO initiative aiming to place health on top of the social and political agenda.
The initiative aims to improve the health of populations by promoting health and wellbeing. 'Healthy Education City' award is under the 'Health-Promoting Universities' programme, also by WHO, and the 'Healthy City' initiative.
“Receiving the WHO Healthy City accreditation for Doha and Al Rayan municipalities, as well as the recognition of Education City as 'Healthy Education City', is a reflection of the efforts across government and key stakeholders towards prioritising the health and well-being of the population of Qatar. It is also a commitment to continue to push the health agenda forward. This is the first step in our Healthy City accreditation journey and we are committed to achieving this accreditation for all eight municipalities,” said H E Dr. Hanan Al Kuwari.
“The awarding of Doha and Al Rayyan as 'Healthy Cities' by the WHO affirms Qatar's commitment to transform Qatari cities into healthy cities, through sustainable urban development and high-quality life to improve the health and wellbeing of all people across Qatar. This achievement is a culmination of efforts to develop all municipalities in the country and to upgrade the level of projects and services provided to residents, to achieve the Ministry of Municipality's strategic goals of maintaining eco-friendly cities, healthy, and scenic facilities; and enhancing quality of life,” said the Minister of Municipality.
H E Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani emphasised that the award reflects QF's dedication to promoting health and wellbeing, as well as its commitment to supporting members of the community to reach their full potential. She also stressed that QF is working to contribute more to national efforts in building healthy cities.
“Improving people's health and wellbeing within our cities and communities requires shared commitment and action from many stakeholders, including QF. Collaborative work of this kind has been instrumental in the WHO granting two municipalities in Qatar the status of a 'Healthy City', and we look forward to contributing to further efforts to make our cities healthier places to work, learn, and live in,” she said.
The Healthy City programme in Qatar serves one of the strategic projects under the 'Health in All Policies' priority within the National Health Strategy (NHS) 2018-2022.
Qatar aims at getting all the eight municipalities awarded the status by the WHO to provide sustainable and healthier options for the whole population.
The 'Healthy City' programme is a global initiative launched by WHO, and is aligned with the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) vision 2023: health for all by all.
“Qatar has demonstrated significant commitment to improving health and well-being and to strong cooperation among partners from government, academia and civil society, ensuring that the health and well-being of its population remain a top priority. This reflected strong commitment towards the EMR vision 2023: health for all by all,” said Dr Ahmed Al Mandhari. He also expressed hope that the initiative will be extended to all the cities and municipalities of Qatar.
A press conference was also held on the sidelines of the event and addressed by Director of the Division of Health Protection and Promotion at WHO's Regional Office for Eastern Mediterranean Dr. Maha Al Adawy, Director of Healthy City Network in Qatar Dr. Sadriya Al Kohji, Director of Al Rayyan Municipality Jaber Al Jaber, and Executive Director of City Operations at QF, Hamad Al Kuwari.
Dr. Maha Al Adawy said Doha and Al Rayyan Municipalities and Education City were registered for the accreditation in 2018 and have achieved more than 80% of required indicators. The accreditation will be re evaluated after three years. She said Education City is the second educational entity to receive the accreditation, but it is outstanding due to the nature of the institution.
“A total of 103 have registered in the WHO's Eastern Mediterranean region since 2012 under the 'Healthy City' initiative but only 18 have been accredited as healthy cities under nine domains including capacity building, emergency response, and environmental safety,” she added.
Dr. Sadriya Al Kohji said,“We already have a healthy city network established in 2020, collaboration with all sectors including different ministries and private sector institutions and NGOs. We continue to do self assessment in order to sustain the accreditation. We also aim to get all eight municipalities accredited as Healthy Cities,” she added.
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