Sustainable Achievements of the Second National Health Strategy Lead to Improved Health

MOPH Qatar

The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) said that the Second National Health Strategy 2018-2022 has successfully accomplished over 90 percent of its outcomes and played a crucial role in the ongoing sustainable development and improvement of healthcare in Qatar, aiming to enhance the health of the Qatari community.

The announcement comes as the MOPH is gearing up to launch the Third National Health Strategy 2024-2030.

Director of the Strategic Planning, Performance and Innovation Department at the Ministry of Public Health, Huda Al Khtheeri stated, "The strategy has successfully accomplished over 90 percent of its outcomes across 54 projects, focusing on prevention, wellness, improving access to care, and delivering services in a more integrated manner." "These accomplishments were achieved despite the strategy's implementation period coinciding with the global health challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which Qatar successfully managed the crisis and maintained one of the lowest mortality rates globally. Furthermore, throughout the strategy's implementation, significant attention was given to ensuring the successful hosting of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, which was recognised as the healthiest tournament ever, thanks to the tremendous efforts of all partners involved," she added.

Al Khtheeri went on saying, "The accomplishments of the strategy also build upon the significant achievements of the First National Health Strategy 2011-2016, which contributed to strengthening governance, improving policy frameworks, and introducing fundamental reforms in the country's healthcare sector." Through the National Health Strategy 2018-2022, the Ministry of Public Health prioritised the improvement and development of services for seven population groups most in need of care, achieving significant milestones in this area, including a 5 percent reduction in the prevalence of dental caries among children and a 10 percent increase in the rate of exclusive breastfeeding for infants during the first six months of life.

Additionally, the percentage of patients receiving mental health services in primary and community care settings increased by approximately 17 percent, and the incidence of emergency department visits due to falls among individuals aged 60 years and older decreased from 2.4 percent in 2018 to 1.9 percent in 2021.

The strategy also led to a 25 percent increase in the number of organisations with access to occupational health and wellness programmes in the workplace. Furthermore, improvements were made in midwifery services for women, as well as services aimed at empowering patients with multiple chronic conditions.

In the field of health system priorities, as a result of joint efforts across all sectors, Qatar became the first country in the world to have all its municipalities awarded the title of "Healthy City" by the World Health Organization. Additionally, Qatar University received the title of "Healthy University," and Qatar Foundation's Education City achieved the title of "Healthy Education City" from the World Health Organization.

The Ministry of Public Health has also achieved an increase in its International Health Regulations (IHR) indicators score, rising from 35 percent in 2018 to 97 percent in 2022. The goal of the IHR is to prevent disease outbreaks.

The State of Qatar has made significant progress in the Universal Health Coverage index, increasing its score from 72 in 2017 to 76 in 2021. Additionally, the National Framework for Health Education was developed and launched to ensure consistent messaging across all programmes and campaigns in the coming years.

The Ministry has also established the Qatar Healthcare Unified Contact Center (16000) to enhance integrated healthcare as well as promote a comprehensive collaborative approach to patient care.
Through the vision of the Second National Health Strategy 2018-2022, "Our Health, Our Future," the strategy focused on providing timely care, delivered by the right person, in the most appropriate setting.

This approach has laid the strong foundations for the next phase of development and improvement through the forthcoming Third National Health Strategy 2024-2030, which is set to be launched soon as part of Qatar's Third National Development Strategy 2024-2030 and Qatar National Vision 2030.

(QNA)