Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health to create an evidence-based national framework for One Health

QATAR – Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) is set to introduce a legal national framework for the adoption of the One Health approach in the country.

In related events, the Hamad Medical Corporation, the principal public healthcare provider in Qatar, is set to implement an evidence-based approach designed to promote age-friendly care in the state.

Qatar, a captivating country in the Middle East, will soon have a harmonized framework for the implementation of a One Health approach to improving human and animal health.

One Health is an integrated, unifying approach that recognizes the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment including ecosystems are closely linked and interdependent.

The Ministry of Public Health has committed to creating guidelines to establish and operationalize the One Health framework in Qatar.

Consequently, the Ministry of Public Health has successfully hosted a symposium on the One Health approach in Qatar.

The symposium brought together key representatives from various ministries and authorities across the country in the public and private sectors and specialized international organizations.

The event was officiated by Dr. Hamad Al Rumaihi, Director of the Health Protection and Communicable Disease Division at the Ministry of Public Health of Qatar.

In a press release, the MoPH said: “The symposium aimed to develop a national plan to implement the One Health Framework in Qatar, in a way that contributes to the realization of health strategies and the Qatar National Vision 2030.”

The conference witnessed the participation of renowned professionals from Qatar, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, and global organizations to share their invaluable expertise.

Overall, the multi-institutional approach will ensure the sustainable promotion of the health of humans, animals, plants, and their shared environment.

It was a unique opportunity for professional experts and academic researchers to share their knowledge, experiences, and research results on One Health.

Additionally, the renowned professionals presented new results of recent evidence-based research conducted in Qatar and different countries tackling zoonotic infections and emerging diseases.

The symposium was conducted under the auspices of the Qatar National Research Fund, aligning with the Fund’s commitment to establishing Qatar as a knowledge-based economy.

It covered all sorts of topics, including control of emerging and re-emerging zoonoses, control of endemic zoonoses, neglected tropical diseases, and vector-borne diseases, enhancing food safety, reducing antimicrobial resistance, and progressively integrating the environment into the health agenda.

Commenting on the significance of this multi-institutional approach, Dr. Hamad Al Rumaihi said: “In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, utilizing the One Health approach has become urgently necessary.”

He further said that as a result, Qatar’s MoPH formed a multidisciplinary technical group to assess and investigate risks, conduct scientific research and take appropriate measures that meet the needs of each sector.

Moreover, the formation of a multidisciplinary technical group is part of Qatar’s approach to coordinate efforts to monitor and assess risks and develop appropriate measures to effectively address health emergencies.

The recommendations made by the working group will help define scientific research priorities in Qatar and that the One Health approach allows for multi-sector joint research.

Comparably, the Ministry of Public Health, Health Promotion and Non-Communicable Diseases Department and the National Diabetes Committee held a consultation workshop as part of developing the National Diabetes and Obesity Action Plan (2024-2030).

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