(MENAFN- The Peninsula) QNA
Doha: Qatar National Health Strategy Lead for Healthy Ageing, Dr. Hanadi Al Hamad has hailed Qatar's important role within the World Health Organization (WHO), which had a positive impact on many global health policies and plans.
Al Hamad, also Medical Director of Rumaila Hospital and Qatar Rehabilitation Center at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), said in statements to QNA that Qatar's many initiatives in various disciplines and health programs as part of the cooperation with the WHO in recent years contributed to the development of the health sector locally and globally.
Based on its belief and confidence in the State of Qatar's positive role at the international level, the WHO appointed many Qatari medical leaders in a number of its committees to contribute their ideas and experiences in enriching international health work, and to play key roles in formulating advanced health policies that will have a significant impact on further developing the health sector globally, Al Hamad said.
The cooperation with the WHO is not a spur of the moment, she added, pointing out that the health and care of the elderly in Qatar has been a focus of attention for years, as the goal was to provide them with comprehensive care at the latest level reached by the world.
She highlighted that her appointment as Qatar National Health Strategy Lead for Healthy Ageing came after communicating with the WHO and seeing the national efforts made in caring for the elderly and after reviewing the international agenda and international standards for the care of the elderly and within the national strategy of the Ministry of Public Health.
The efforts focused on the conformity with the WHO's requirements and standards, Al Hamad said, highlighting the cooperation between a team from the Ministry of Health and the Elderly Administration at Hamad Medical Corporation regarding the work of the national plan for dementia in 2018.
She also highlighted the efforts in cooperation with the WHO to create a national plan for healthy aging, and the communications amid the Covid-19 pandemic to face the challenges facing the elderly, as well as the exchange of local and global experiences.
The WHO selected as a member of its technical advisory team concerned with integrating the workforce in the fields of health and care for the safety and care of the elderly during COVID-19 pandemic.
Al Hamad added that the team is working on developing the first global source of policies in the field of integrating the workforce in the areas of health and social care, with a clear focus on integrating care workers in their various specialties as part of integrated health services that focus on the individual and strengthen primary health care systems.
The WHO is developing global policy options to support its Member States, including Qatar, for the gradual integration of their health and care workforce in the areas of health and social care, Al Hamad added, stressing that the group will have many public contributions to the WHO.