Doha: In recent years, the health sector in the State of Qatar witnessed significant development and qualitative leaps, as Qatar is now ranked among the developed countries in providing an comprehensive healthcare comparable to the best health systems in the world.
Visitors to Qatar can see the progress in the health sector, especially in large medical institutions that are now competing with other internationally reputable institutions in the fields of treatment and nursing.
The health sector in Qatar plays an important role in assisting in hosting the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, as it is preparing, in cooperation with relevant authorities and partners in the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the Federation International de Football Association (FIFA), and the World Health Organization (WHO) to provide a comprehensive range of medical services in the field of healthcare during the tournament.
Health sector officials emphasized repeatedly on many occasions and events that the sector is fully prepared to support the country's efforts to host the World Cup by providing healthcare services to all those attending the upcoming global event.
The State of Qatar and WHO signed a three-year partnership in October 2021, in cooperation with FIFA to carry out joint activities to promote healthy life, health security and physical and mental health at the heart of the most prominent global football event, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
Because the State of Qatar has a great legacy and experience in hosting major international sporting events such as the 2006 Asian Games, the 2019 FIFA Club World Cup, 2019 World Athletics Championships, and the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021, healthcare teams in Qatar gained great experience in dealing with events through their participation in them, which makes them ready and capable of dealing with the medical requirements of the upcoming global event throughout the tournament.
Regarding health security and the preparations of the World Cup, the Ministry of Public Health, in partnership with WHO, held a series of workshops, meetings and training courses on health security aimed at making the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 safe medically and in terms of health.
In light of the expectations that huge numbers of people will come to Qatar to attend the World Cup, and with tens of thousands of fans present in each stadium to watch matches and attend various events, the necessary preventive steps have been taken to avoid health threats caused by mass gatherings and ensure the safety and security of the tournament.
Chair of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Health Strategic Command Group Dr. Ahmed Al Mohammed stresses that the healthcare sector is fully prepared to support the country's efforts to host the tournament by providing a comprehensive and diversified set of healthcare services.
He explained that plans for healthcare services for the World Cup brought together partners from throughout the public and private sectors.
Official Healthcare Spokesperson for the World Cup and Medical Director of Hamad General Hospital Dr Yousef Al Maslamani adds that the healthcare teams in Hamad Corporation and its partners in the health sector will be keen to provide the best services in various places, pointing out that ambulance teams will play an important role as well.
According to those in charge of the health sector, healthcare teams in the Ministry of Public Health, Hamad Medical Corporation, Primary Health Care Corporation, Aspetar Hospital, Sidra Medicine, Qatar Red Crescent, Qatar Armed Forces, Ministry of Interior, and private health services in Qatar Energy, will come together to provide healthcare services in stadiums, fan areas and training areas, in addition to providing emergency and urgent care services within healthcare facilities and a wide range of medical and support services to teams, officials and specialized temporary workforce groups, as well as to local and visiting fans.
The ambulance service at Hamad Medical Corporation will also play a major role in providing services in stadiums, areas where matches will be held, and other locations, in addition to preparing and being prepared for any potential emergency incidents.
In addition to the various health sectors, Aspetar hospital, which is one of the largest sports medicine hospitals around the globe, will also play a major role during the tournament by providing its medical services to all the athletes participating in the World Cup.
Aspetar will play a leading role during the World Cup, especially with Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Khalid Al Khelaifi being selected by the International Football Association (FIFA) as medical director for athletes services during the tournament. Aspetar has all the capabilities to provide excellent medical services in the World Cup, as it usually does in all tournaments; all hospital staff, including doctors, surgeons, specialists and pharmacists, will work through a 24/7 system to cover any medical emergency needed by the participating athletes.
According to Aspetar officials, some of the hospital's qualified doctors have been assigned to work as medical directors in several World Cup stadiums.
During the tournament, the hospital will provide its services in particular to about 10 participating teams in the tournament who have limited medical support - enabling them to use additional medical staff to work directly with. Aspetar's role will not be limited to providing medical services, but will also provide assistance upon request in supporting the participating teams with additional medical equipment and staff, as well as making use of the hospital facilities in Qatari clubs where some of the participating teams' training sites are located during the tournament to serve the participating teams and their staff.
About 32 health centers are already prepared to cope with the World Cup event, as according to those in charge of the health care institution, work is underway to open and equip five new health centers before the start of the tournament, causing the number of health centers to increase from 27 to 32 health centers according to the latest international standards.
The centers provide many medical services through several private clinics, including a specialized travel clinic, where patients can receive vaccinations and health consultations, and special clinics are available for persons with disabilities.
During the tournament, visiting fans will have access to world-class medical services in their time of need. In the event of a medical emergency, such as a serious injury or sudden illness, fans can call 999 to request rapid emergency support from the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) Ambulance Service, which operates 24/7.
It also provides rapid support for life-threatening medical incidents and the case is urgently transferred to the appropriate emergency department of the hospital.
Fans can easily access healthcare services whether they visit hospitals for non-emergency care, or through medical clinics in stadiums, fan zones, main accommodation sites, and all venues managed by healthcare teams, to ensure medical support is provided at the sites that fans frequently visit.
Many private healthcare providers will also operate 24-hour emergency and urgent care services, in addition to allocating four HMC hospitals to patients who need urgent but non-emergency medical care.
The health information website for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 tournament will be launched in Arabic and English, which will help provide an electronic reference to learn about the health care system in Qatar and the multiple options available to all for receiving medical support, as public health awareness information on food safety, handling the heat and sunlight, traffic safety, infection control measures and other information services will be broadcasted. (QNA)
