(MENAFN- The Peninsula) fazeena saleem |
The Peninsula
Doha: The Middle East Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare 2023 opened yesterday in Doha, highlighting the importance of resilient healthcare systems in unpredictable times.
Addressing more than 3,000 healthcare professionals in her opening remarks, Minister of Public Health, H E Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari said that Qatar is well-positioned to successfully face challenges due to the country's competent plans and policies.
“In Qatar we are fortunate to be guided by the wise leadership of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani who has emphasised resilience in all our country plan and policy. As a country we were well-positioned to successfully face challenges such as COVID-19. Our National Vision 2030 has driven us to seek to excel in the delivery of healthcare to all those living in Qatar so that we can have a healthy thriving population,” said the Minister.
Middle East Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare is being held for the 10th year, as result of an ongoing collaboration between Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI).
The two-day summit is arguably the biggest event of its kind in the region dedicated to healthcare quality and safety and is being held under the theme,“Healthcare Resilience in Extraordinary Times.”
“This year's theme Healthcare Resilience in Extraordinary Times is especially important now as we deal the COVID-19 pandemic and numerous natural man-made disasters across the world.
“Last few years have stressed and tested every aspect of our health systems. As organisations and as individuals we have all learnt the importance of resilience through the unprecedented challenges and through the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr. Al Kuwari.
“For continues progress we must build more resilience systems that can stand the many challenges ahead, both known and the unexpected. I look forward to our engaging discussions to consolidate our understanding of resilience and help us build on our previous successes to sustain and achieve our collective goal of universal health coverage,” she added.
Besides, the Minster and delegates offered a standing ovation, thanking Qatar's healthcare professional, frontline staff, and support staff for their“resilience during extraordinary times”.
Dr. Al Kuwari also highlighted the healthcare sector's contribution to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
“The planning, preparation and delivery of our comprehensive FIFA World Cup strategy required a truly incredible effort from healthcare teams across the sector and I am deeply grateful to everyone who played their part in this remarkable accomplishment,” she added.
Dr. Al Kuwari said that despite COVID-19 and the FIFA World Cup making the past three years the most challenging period for healthcare staff in recent memory, Qatar's dedicated healthcare teams have made enormous progress away from these two areas of work to continue to improve the quality of care delivered across the health system.
“Yet despite these incredible achievements, we are committed to constantly moving forward...Throughout 2023, we will focus our efforts on implementing the new National Insurance Program; providing fast access to care for patients and ensuring Qatar's healthcare system continues to be a regional leader for quality and safety in healthcare, delivering services on par with the world's best health systems,” she said.
The Minister, dignitaries, and healthcare leaders also toured the exhibition which showcases important segments and partners of Qatar's healthcare system, being held as part of the Forum. The opening session also featured Deputy Chief Medical Officer at HMC, and co-chair of the Forum, Dr. Abdullatif Al Khal. He highlighted the importance of a sustained commitment to quality and safety in healthcare to deliver the best patient outcomes.
One of the sessions of the forum focused on“How Qatar's unique approach to healthcare resilience and teamwork helped deliver the best World Cup”. During the session, healthcare leaders highlighted resilience in Qatar's healthcare sector during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
The forum also focuses on areas such a person-centered care; flow, safety and value improvement; leadership, resilience and sustainability; and population health.