Qatar Healthcare

QATAR boasts a healthcare system which is the envy of most countries around the world. It offers free or subsidised healthcare, not only  nits citizens, who number just under one million, but also to citizens of other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member countries.

 

The resident population of Qatar is 2.9 million and many residents are workers from overseas which amount to around 88% of the population. This population predominantly originates from  South Asia.(1) The number of people from India is around 700,000, while there is also a large migrant population from Egypt as well as the Philippines. In terms of healthcare expenditure, it is estimated that Qatar spent 3% of its GDP on healthcare in 2019 (the year of the last available data).

 

Qatar is enjoying a boost in oil and gas revenues, reflecting strong demand for hydrocarbons in the wake of the Ukrainian conflict. Indeed, Qatar is one of the most important exporters of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) in the world and this precious commodity is more in demand than ever. The country has the third largest reserves of natural gas worldwide. Given the strong demand for LNG globally, Qatar’s economy is likely to enjoy strong growth over the next few years. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast GDP growth would increase to 2.4 % in 2023 (albeit it is too early to judge whether this prediction proved accurate).(2) 

 

Consequently, Qatar is able to channel more funding into healthcare, and at present the number of healthcare workers in the country has reached over 11,000.(3) Qatar has also made significant improvements in the administration and delivery of healthcare provision.

 

 

Healthcare Provision

 

Qatar has prioritised developing a world-class public health system as a key objective within its National Vision 2030 initiative.(4) The available evidence strongly indicates its notable success in this endeavour. The Supreme Council of Health (SCH) was established in 2005 as the responsible body for regulating Qatar's healthcare system, and a decade later the SCH published the first Patients’ Right Charter.(5) The main healthcare provider in the country is the Hamad Medical Corporation, established by the government in October 1979 as a non-profit healthcare provider. It runs a network of hospitals, ambulance services, and a home healthcare service, accredited by the Joint Commission.(6)

 

The most recent data from The World Bank notes that Qatar accounts for 1.23 hospital beds per 1000 inhabitants (2017), 192.60 beds per hospital, and 2.5 doctors per 1000 inhabitants (2018).(7) This marks a considerable improvement over the decades, comparatively in 1996  the number of physicians totalled 1.26 per 1000 inhabitants.(8) In 2023 the estimated number of nurses per 1000 inhabitants in Qatar was 6.58 (9), while the number of dentists per 1000 inhabitants reached 0.62. The estimated number of physiotherapists per 100,000 inhabitants in Qatar totalled 16.12 in 2023. Life expectancy has improved by 5.88 years from 71.3 years in 2000 to 77.2 years in 2019.(10)

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Primary Care

 

Qatar is actively constructing a network of high quality hospitals. In 2010, Qatar had four public and five private hospitals including Hamad General Hospital, Rumailah Hospital, Women’s Hospital, Psychiatric Hospital, Al Khor Hospital, Al Wakra Hospital and the Primary Health Care Centre.(11) The main private hospitals in the country are Al Ahli Hospital, Doha Clinic Hospital, Al Emadi Hospital, and The American Hospital. Notably, the Sidra Medical and Research Center stands out as a groundbreaking project in the Middle East, supported by a generous $7.9 billion USD donation from the Qatar Foundation. This major project offers the latest healthcare and education facilities.

 

The Medical School at Qatar University opened in 2015. This Faculty is a welcome addition to the Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar has been training clinicians since 2002. While traditional attitudes once discouraged women from pursuing careers in healthcare – particularly in nursing – there has been a significant shift in recent times. Indeed, more women are now entering the medical profession.(12)

 

 

Covid-19: A National Emergency Managed Successfully

 

Qatar suffered 514,524 cases of COVID-19, leading to a total of 690 deaths with a peak in December 202.(13) In a report on Qatar’s national response to COVID-19 published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) it is noted that the approach adopted by the Qatari authorities was essentially defined in the Qatar Vision 2030, which aims to attain optimum public health through implementation of sound and empirically tested and proven, best practices in healthcare by utilising cutting edge tools and the exceptional skills of healthcare professionals’ knowledge to enable high quality decision making.(14)

 

An example of this approach was the way in which Qatar’s CERNER network of medical records across hospitals and health centres, such as the Hamad Medical Hospital and Primary Healthcare Corporation facilities, was employed to integrate existing information and avoid needless duplication. CERNER is an electronic health record system which has been developed over the last 30 years across the Gulf region by  the US corporation Oracle. As Alexander Tarazi, Executive Director of Health Information and Communications Technology at the Qatar’s Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) observes, “We had a huge advantage by having data recorded in our databases thanks to CERNER”. She adds, “Virtual consultations, a medical delivery service via Whats App, and drive though testing facilities were set up at the ‘speed of light’.”(15)

 

Qatar implemented a comprehensive National Plan to deal with the threat posed by COVID-19. This established a collaborative framework for action across government, relevant partners and stakeholders. At the height of the pandemic, Qatar imposed stringent measures including restrictions on travel and daily movements, the closure of national borders, schools, and non-essential companies, as well as suspending mass gatherings, and enforcing a partial curfew. This decisive action played a crucial role in limiting the transmission of the virus.

 

Extensive testing and vaccination programmes were administered by the state authorities with the volume of laboratory tests performed reaching 20,000 per day. The Qatari authorities used a tool named Kashif for the collection of relevant demographic and exposure data for people undergoing swab tests for COVID-19. This initiative allowed for the rapid tracking and treatment of positive cases. Significantly, the healthcare authorities paid special attention to the mental health of vulnerable groups, such as children, the elderly and those who worked in front lines like healthcare workers, the hospitality sector and retail industry.

 

The available evidence supports the view reached by The Qatari authorities when it concluded:

 

‘We believe that this truly seamless and amazing interconnected level of teamwork, professionalism and communication across health system and within the society at large has contributed to minimise the impact of the epidemic in our community.’

Remarkably, despite the high number of COVID-19 cases relative to the size of the population, Qatar experienced a low fatality rate of 0.15%, one of the lowest in the world.(16) Furthermore, the country’s healthcare system was never overwhelmed despite the remorseless spread of the virus.

 

 

Outlook

 

Like other countries, Qatar faces a range of onerous challenges on its healthcare system. With average temperatures exceeding 100F (37.7C) for five months of the year there is a particular need to address health issues related to extreme heat. This is especially pertinent for those who are working outdoors on construction sites and major infrastructure projects.

 

Analysis undertaken of the population and published in a STEPS report indicates that, along with other Gulf countries, Qatar needs to tackle a weight problem among it citizenry as 70.1% are overweight — which is nearly three in four people — and where the percentage of those suffering from diabetes has reached 17%, nearly one in five people.(17) Furthermore, 44.9% of the population suffers from three or more cardiovascular disease related risk factors. Susanna F. Awad (et al) recently published a mathematical modelling analysis of the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes and the key risk factors going forward indicates that the demands of the health service may significantly increase unless decisive steps are taken to educate people about their diet and lifestyle choices – with an emphasis on the importance of more physical exercise and activity.(18) Qatar is by no means unique in having to tackle these medical conditions associated with modern urban life, but the strategy it employs to address these multifarious problems may well offer lessons to be emulated by countries across the world.

 

Over the last 30 years Qatar has achieved a remarkable feat in transforming the healthcare services it offers citizens. As demonstrated by the data the country’s healthcare system is now one of the best in the world and one which has successfully integrated digital technology so that medical professionals can draw on patient records in real time to treat their patients. The recent COVID 19 pandemic and the way in which this was dealt with underlines the strengths of Qatar’s medical sector. It is an inspiration to other nations.

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(06/02/2024)

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Endnotes:

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(1) Source: ‘The population and people of Qatar’, expatica.com/qa/mopving/abo/population-and-people-in-qatar-71297/

(2) IMF Staff completes 2023 Article IV Mission top Qatar, November 2, 2023, Press release no 23/407, IMF.)

(3) Source: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.MED.PHYS.ZS

(4) The State of Qatar: A General Guide, Qatar National Vision 2030, Qatar International Media Office; see also ‘About Qatar: Health’, asghhal.gov.qa/en/About Qatar/Pages/Health.aspx

(5) ‘SC launches first patients’ rights charter’, 15 December 2015, The Peninsula

(6) For further details and context see ‘About Qatar: Health’, asghhal.gov.qa/en/About Qatar/Pages/Health.aspx

(7) source for doctors and hospital beds, see data.worldbank.org/indicator/QA

(8) Source: https://www.indexmundi.com/facts/qatar/indicator/SH.MED.PHYS.ZS

(9) Source: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.MED.PHYS.ZS . The World Bank source also provided figures for dentists, etc.,  as quoted.

(10) Source: data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.LE00.IN

(11) for further details and commentary see ‘Five Qatar hospitals ranked among world’s top centres,Gulf Times, February 15, 2023.

(12) See, for example, ‘Qatar’s healthcare getting more women hands’ The Peninsula, last updated 28 December 2021.

(13) For further details and comparisons see Mortality Analyses, Coronavrius Resource Center, John Hopkins University , coronavirus.jhu.edu/data/mortality

(14) Source: https://data.who.int/countries/634, World Health Organisation.

(15) ‘Transforming the future of digital health in Qatar’ by Alexander Tarazi et al, April 21, 2021, Oracle Center, Cerner.com

(16) Source: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/qatar/

(17) The World Health Organisation STEP wise approach to surveillance (STEPS) is an internationally comparable standardised comparison tool that enables counties to collect, analyse and share information on noncommunicable diseases. Qatar undertook a STEPS survey of chronic disease risk factor in 2012. Information on this survey is available at www.who.int/chp/steps

(18) ‘Type 2 diabetes epidemic and key risk factors in Qatar: a mathematical modelling analysis, by Susanna F Awad et al, BMJB Open Diabetes Research & Care, March 22, 2022

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