Prime Minister and Interior Minister, H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, inaugurated the country’s first healthcare mass gathering conference, ‘Qatar Health 2020,’ yesterday.
The three day conference is held part of the healthcare sector’s preparations for the FIFA World Cup 2022 and it opened in the presence of several dignitaries, including H E Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, Minister of
Public Health, H E Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti, Minister of Transport and Communications and Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani at Doha Sheraton Hotel.
‘Qatar Health 2020’ has gathered around 3,000 participants and the conference is aimed at improving healthcare professionals’ understanding of mass gathering events in preparation for one of the world’s largest sporting events.
“In recent years Qatar has hosted an increasing number of large-scale sporting events which attract tens of thousands of people to one location. Mass gathering events in general have the potential to strain health systems. For this reason, we are placing great emphasis on ensuring the healthcare sector as a whole is fully prepared and able to appropriately respond,” said H E Dr Al Kuwari.
“Mass gathering medicine is a new field of medicine that focuses on the health risks of mass gatherings and our hosting of ‘Qatar Health 2020’ is part of our efforts to ensure our public healthcare system and professionals are ready for the World Cup 2022,” She added.
Qatar Health 2020 is organised by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) in partnership with Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), and Aspetar.
The Minister also inaugurated and toured an exhibition being held on the sidelines of the conference. The conference will provide an opportunity to look at advances in mass gathering preparedness and planning as part of setting the scene for a successful FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.
“As the country embarks on the final stages of preparation to deliver an amazing World Cup 2022, the national healthcare sector in Qatar play a cornerstone role,” said Dr AbdulWahab Al Musleh, Adviser Consultant to the Minister of Public Health, Chairman of Qatar Health 2020 and the World Cup 2022 Healthcare.
“In the past 12 months, Qatar’s healthcare sector has supported a number of large-scale sporting events in the country, including the IAAF World Athletics Championships and the FIFA Club World Cup. We have provided a wide range of services to these events via HMC’s Emergency Departments and Ambulance Service, PHCC’s primary care physicians, and Aspetar’s sports medicine experts.
These events have enabled us to implement and assess our response to mass gatherings as we continue to prepare for the FIFA World Cup 2022,” he added.
He also announced launch of a health promotion campaign led by MoPH with the support of World Health Organisation (WHO) to promote healthy lifestyle for and beyond 2022.
Delegates at the conference have the opportunity to learn about a range of topics associated with mass gatherings during the conference, including public health surveillance, risk and crisis communication, crowd and environmental management, prevention of infectious diseases, incident and outbreak response management, and health promotion and public information.
“The conference will help to identify the gaps and the challenges in preparations for the management of mass gathering, between sectors at local, regional and international level. It will also foster multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary collaboration between relevant stakeholders and find opportunities to enhance mass gathering preparations,” said Dr Hassan Al Thani, Head of Trauma and vascular Surgery Section, HMC.
As part of Qatar Health 2020, international experts with experience in mass gatherings as well as representatives from previous World Cup host countries, including Russia and Brazil, delivered a number of key presentations.
The opening session of the conference featured a keynote address by Dr Gaudenz Silberschmidt, Director for Health and Multilateral Partnerships, External Relations at WHO.
He said that WHO will work together with Qatar and FIFA to promote healthy life style through football legacy.
“WHO, FIFA and Qatar will collaborate for the world cup, first we want to deliver a safe, secured world Cup, then also want to leave a legacy both in security, communication around,” he added.
The conference also included world-renowned speakers from academic institutions, healthcare leaders, disaster managers, and government bodies.