Ministry of Public Health showcases efforts to combat tuberculosis

Dr Abdullatif Al Khal

The Ministry of Public Health and its partners highlight their continuous efforts to combat tuberculosis (TB) and have renewed their commitment to eradicate it. This comes in honour of World Tuberculosis Day, Sunday, March 24, 2024, and in celebration of this year's theme, "Yes! We can eliminate tuberculosis."

According to WHO, national TB programs should prioritize improving the quality and sustainability of TB services. In Qatar, Ministry of Public Health, Hamad Medical Corporation, Primary Health Care Corporation and other healthcare partners are steadfast in ensuring equitable access to high quality TB services, with appropriate and timely screening, testing, treatment and referral protocols in place, in addition to a robust surveillance system.

Dr Abdullatif Al Khal, Manager of Qatar’s National Tuberculosis Program and Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Director of the Department of Medical Education at HMC, stated ‘Qatar is committed to reducing the burden of tuberculosis, in alignment with the WHO End TB Strategy. We are well on track to achieve the global targets for 2027, which were set at the second high-level meeting of the UN General Assembly on the fight against tuberculosis. High quality services for TB are accessible to everyone in the country, without fear of stigma or discrimination.’

Dr Hamad Eid Al Romaihi (pictured above), Director of Health Protection and Communicable Disease Control Department, Ministry of Public Health, emphasized the importance of TB prevention stating, ‘Community members play a vital role in TB elimination. We urge the public to be informed about symptoms of TB and its prevention. Seeking timely medical care is crucial for effective treatment for the individual, as well as to prevent transmission among close contacts and therefore the community as a whole.’

Moving forward, Qatar is invested in enhancing preventive and curative services to achieve TB elimination and other diseases Within the framework of Qatar’s Vision 2030.

Dr Muna Al-Maslamani (pictured above), CEO and Medical Director, Communicable Disease Center, HMC, said, ‘Our TB services are provided free of charge to all. As treatment compliance is of paramount importance to combat TB, we have dedicated personnel to support our patients in adhering to their treatment regimen. Providing TB preventive treatment is a critical component of the WHO End TB Strategy; in Qatar there was an increase in the number of persons receiving TB preventive treatment in 2022 as compared to the previous year, which contributes substantially to our TB elimination efforts.’