Qatars National Health Strategy marks its fourth year

Doha, May 25 (QNA) - To mark the completion of four years implementing the National Health Strategy 2011-2016 ("NHS"), the Supreme Council of Health ("SCH"), will be hosting an event for the healthcare community on 1st June at Al Gassar Resort, under the theme: Together for Integrated Care. This reflects the journey of the NHS from planning, to delivery of tangible improvements for patients and staff. The annual event aims to build greater understanding and support for the wide ranging transformation in health services currently being delivered. Qatar has continued to have one of the worlds highest population growth rates with health sector activity reaching, almost 38 million encounters in 2014, a 5% rise over the previous year. To meet this challenge there has been a 16% increase in health workforce during 2014, with the public sector now employing over 30,000 healthcare professionals. Public sector healthcare spending in 2013/14 was QAR 12,699 million, an increase of 28% on the previous year, and there has been a 46% increase in the number of licensed private facilities, with 73 new facilities in the pipeline. The NHS has also grown in response to these challenges. In 2015 the NHS comprises 35 projects. Six projects have been completed and closed. Two new projects have been added; Diabetes and Oral Health, and the National Cancer Program has been brought within the scope of NHS implementation. Overall great progress has been made with an average of 61 % of outputs complete across all projects. Maintaining the momentum of delivery of NHS outputs will become increasingly challenging as the program moves into its final phase.. The theme for this years event: Together for Integrated Care, reflects the importance of ensuring that the focus remains on integrating services to deliver a high quality health system. One of the primary aims of integration is to connect health professionals from different organizations to the patient, as a multi-disciplinary clinical team, sharing information and joint accountability for the outcome of the patients journey. Seamless, patient-centric support across organizations will deliver a higher quality experience and ensure consistency in quality and delivery of care. HE the Minister of Public Health, Mr. Abdulla bin Khalid Al Qahtani, will be speaking on the vision for Qatars health sector, and this year he will be followed by international speakers from New Zealand who will present their experience of developing local, integrated clinical partnerships to support growing healthcare demands, particularly those of patients with long term conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. The presentations will be followed by an open panel discussion on the challenges and achievements of developing a modern integrated health system for Qatar. This is expected to cover topics such as the National Cancer Program, Seha, primary care, the new E-Health initiative, quality, and continuing professional education. Connecting and integrating systems, services and support, remains a crucial challenge over the next year and requires the commitment and focus of individuals and organizations across the entire health system. About the National Health Strategy ("NHS") The NHS was created to help deliver the objectives of the Qatar National Vision 2030 and ensure that all people in Qatar have access to one of the best healthcare systems in world. It is a practical, implementable strategy used as the blue print for reform and improvement, toward reaching the ultimate goal of a healthy population. It is a strategy with far-reaching and fundamental changes across Qatar's entire healthcare system. The NHS is a partnership of SCH, Hamad Medical Corporation ("HMC"), Primary Healthcare Corporation ("PHCC") working in collaboration with more than 50 organizations. Program Monitoring A dedicated NHS Program Management Office has been established and has been actively supporting each project within the NHS since the beginning of 2012. The Program Management Office facilitates clear oversight of delivery by H.E The Minister of Public Health, and the SCH Executive Committee and Board of Directors. The size of the NHS program makes transparent and accurate reporting as challenging as it is essential. The addition of three new projects to the NHS including 29 additional outputs since June 2014 means that progress is now measured against a larger baseline. When published, the NHS had 35 projects with 101 outputs, at present the NHS has 41 projects, six of which are closed, and 218 outputs. This means that the NHS now encompasses twice as much activity as when it was launched in 2011. NHS projects have completed their outputs and been closed: NHS Project 2.5 Private Sector Involvement NHS Project 3.4 Consanguinity Risk Reduction NHS Project 4.4 Optimizing Skill Mix NHS Project 5.2 Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners NHS Project 6.4 Healthcare Infrastructure Master Plan NHS Project 6.5 Capital Expenditure Committee (QNA)