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The New Age of Health and Wellbeing
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Qatar seeks to build a vibrant and prosperous society to support its high ambition.
With this in mind the nation works toward developing the wellbeing of its citizens by applying new thinking and innovative practice. Modern day healthcare has seen an exponential increase in available technology, practices and medicines over the past 50 years. This has undoubtedly contributed to enhanced quality of life and improved outcomes but today we recognize that while medicine will always play an important and vital role, our definition of ‘wellness’ is broader and requires a more holistic approach. Today diet, nutrition, activity, tobacco cessation and lifestyle moderation are no longer seen as alternative practices, but are now firmly rooted at the heart of mainstream health ‘best practice’. To enhance the wellbeing of its population, Qatar is taking the time and care to increase public awareness of self-health management.
The Qatar National Vision 2030 under the pillar of Human Development has promised a world-class health system for all residents of Qatar. Launched in 2011, the National Health Strategy (NHS) was developed through consultation with more than 50 health stakeholders across Qatar. It comprises of seven goals, each with related projects that are designed to synthesize the QNV2030 vision into reality by implementing detailed plans and through delivering specific outputs.
The NHS is a highly complex transformation program that reaches into every corner of the health sector. The challenges are great but not unexpected, for a change program of this magnitude. One of the highest priorities is advancing ‘Goal Three - Preventive Healthcare’, which focuses on raising public awareness of health prevention measures and changing behaviors.
Qatar has high rates of obesity and diabetes; low rates of physical activity and dietary awareness, a low understanding of mental health coupled with developing services to provide support and treatment. The NHS will result in a marked expansion of capacity and infrastructure, but as the population rises each year and with the increasing prevalence of lifestyle diseases, public education and prevention are the most critical tools. The key is getting people to understand that they themselves must play an active role in self-care and health management.
Mr. Jassim Fakhroo, Director of Media and Communication Department at the Supreme Council of Health (SCH), is about to commence the organizations first major public health campaign on ‘Healthy Lifestyles’. As a long time advocate for public health promotion he believes the seemingly mountainous task of changing attitudes to health is achievable.
With this in mind the nation works toward developing the wellbeing of its citizens by applying new thinking and innovative practice. Modern day healthcare has seen an exponential increase in available technology, practices and medicines over the past 50 years. This has undoubtedly contributed to enhanced quality of life and improved outcomes but today we recognize that while medicine will always play an important and vital role, our definition of ‘wellness’ is broader and requires a more holistic approach. Today diet, nutrition, activity, tobacco cessation and lifestyle moderation are no longer seen as alternative practices, but are now firmly rooted at the heart of mainstream health ‘best practice’. To enhance the wellbeing of its population, Qatar is taking the time and care to increase public awareness of self-health management.
The Qatar National Vision 2030 under the pillar of Human Development has promised a world-class health system for all residents of Qatar. Launched in 2011, the National Health Strategy (NHS) was developed through consultation with more than 50 health stakeholders across Qatar. It comprises of seven goals, each with related projects that are designed to synthesize the QNV2030 vision into reality by implementing detailed plans and through delivering specific outputs.
The NHS is a highly complex transformation program that reaches into every corner of the health sector. The challenges are great but not unexpected, for a change program of this magnitude. One of the highest priorities is advancing ‘Goal Three - Preventive Healthcare’, which focuses on raising public awareness of health prevention measures and changing behaviors.
Qatar has high rates of obesity and diabetes; low rates of physical activity and dietary awareness, a low understanding of mental health coupled with developing services to provide support and treatment. The NHS will result in a marked expansion of capacity and infrastructure, but as the population rises each year and with the increasing prevalence of lifestyle diseases, public education and prevention are the most critical tools. The key is getting people to understand that they themselves must play an active role in self-care and health management.
Mr. Jassim Fakhroo, Director of Media and Communication Department at the Supreme Council of Health (SCH), is about to commence the organizations first major public health campaign on ‘Healthy Lifestyles’. As a long time advocate for public health promotion he believes the seemingly mountainous task of changing attitudes to health is achievable.
“The overall aim of the ‘Healthy Lifestyles’ campaign is to influence and promote behaviours of the public (both Qatari and expats) in the areas of Nutrition and Physical Activity and Tobacco Cessation (stopping smoking). We need to encourage people to take the necessary actions to lead a healthy life by eating healthily (good nutrition), exercising regularly, and not using tobacco products. This will help prevent many diseases,” he said.
“The nature of our people is that they like to change, they have this kind of ability... we can and will move ourselves toward the future. We know that behavior change takes a long time and goes through different phases to achieve the ideal behaviors, but the job is easier when it is planned well. We have been working on planning for this campaign for over a year now, but already we start to hear different voices, different thoughts about a healthy life and about the need for such public health campaigns. We have planned this campaign using the latest communication techniques, and theories. The campaign will utilize the services of a professional international advertizing agency to build on its experiences and expertise in promoting the campaign theses. The campaign will also be evaluated through a professional research firm to assess the campaign impact through a baseline and post campaign survey".
The Healthy Lifestyles awareness campaign will complement the work already underway through the Public Health Department of the SCH under the guidance of Dr. Al-Anoud bint Mohammed Al-Thani, Manager of Health Promotion and Non-Communicable Diseases at the Supreme Council of Health.
Dr. Al-Anoud explains: “We have already produced a comprehensive Nutrition and Physical Activity Action Plan focusing on improving the health and wellbeing of the population and the work is well advanced. In 2011, we launched the ‘We Are Healthy Kids’ program in primary schools across Qatar. This program is educating future generations to be healthier and make wiser food and exercise choices. The program lasts for eight weeks and delivers health-related information according to a specific theme each week. Topics include nutrition, physical exercise, sleep and tobacco among other things. Before and after participating in the program, pupils are tested on their knowledge. The results were very encouraging and showed improvement in understanding across all modules. Approximately 7,000 school children participated in the program during 2013 and currently all independent primary schools in Qatar are implementing the program. Over time we believe that the healthy lifestyle
messages will build a generation of people who understand the importance of self-care and are armed with practical information to live better and stay well.”
Looking ahead over 2014, the classroom will continue to be the setting for a range of programs aimed at building on the ‘We Are Healthy Kids’ success, and educating and empowering the next generation. Healthy school-snack guidelines have been developed to influence eating habits at an early age. Physical activity programs have been adopted into the core school curriculum to promote fitness and an active lifestyle in childhood and adolescence. Outside of the schoolyard but still addressing the health of the youth, a range of national dietary policies will be introduced including guidelines for marketing food and beverages to children, for example, a requirement to label sugar-sweetened drinks. In the supermarket, consumers will be able to make more informed food purchasing decisions as food-labels are brought into effect. Workplace wellness programs will address nutrition, physical activity, occupational health etc, encouraging both healthier habits in the office and workplace safety.
Mr. Robert Moorhead, Director of the NHS Program Management Office at the Supreme Council of Health, says public awareness has to be built on good education but still needs to be well supported by the availability of services. “For example …there’s no point asking people to quit smoking unless we provide easy access to support services for those people to make it achievable to quit smoking. So, at the moment, with our colleagues in primary healthcare and in the public health department here at the Supreme Council, we are building up a range of services to support people through their tobacco cessation journey, because we all know it’s a journey, it’s not an easy thing to do. Alongside community-based services such as peer support groups, the public will see increased taxes on tobacco products, warning labels on cigarette packets, and restrictions on shisha consumption, with a higher focus on enforcing tobacco laws. This is just one example of how the health sector is working together to support healthy lifestyles, there are many more across the NHS.”
Equally important to service development is that services reach people in the right place. One of the key aims of the NHS is to strengthen the foundations of primary and community care. The next few years will see a focus on shifting the balance of care away from hospitals and into the primary care setting. This will allow hospitals to focus on what they do best, delivering specialist care and will make Primary Healthcare Centers the first point of entry into the health system for most people. Currently greater than 50% of all patients who seek treatment at Hamad General Hospital’s emergency department could have been treated in primary care. While they may need to see a Doctor, their first step should be to visit a primary healthcare clinic to see a general practitioner, or ‘GP’. By going straight to a hospital, they overload the system and divert resources from genuine emergency cases.
The Primary Healthcare Corporation (PHCC) has a big role to play in supporting peoples’ wellbeing and Dr. Mariam Ali Abdulmalik, Managing Director of Primary Healthcare Corporation says both exciting and challenging times lie ahead. “We have to improve the utilization rate of primary healthcare. There is a misconception about when you should go to primary healthcare, or when you should go to secondary care or the emergency room. There are several factors that contribute to this. One is a lack of awareness in our population, so we need to focus on raising awareness of the different types of care available, and the importance of self-care.” “To fit the expanded role, the Primary Healthcare Corporation are building 18 new Primary Healthcare Centers for Qatar and this involves not just the physical enhancements but also recruiting and training existing and new staff, introducing new systems and services, and monitoring patient satisfaction to ensure the changes are effective. “We are trying to focus on expanding the role of primary healthcare in the community, rather than performing only diagnosis and treatment, or managing diseases. We will also be delivering more preventative support and health promotion in the centers,” says Dr. Mariam. She went on to say that
Dr. Al-Anoud explains: “We have already produced a comprehensive Nutrition and Physical Activity Action Plan focusing on improving the health and wellbeing of the population and the work is well advanced. In 2011, we launched the ‘We Are Healthy Kids’ program in primary schools across Qatar. This program is educating future generations to be healthier and make wiser food and exercise choices. The program lasts for eight weeks and delivers health-related information according to a specific theme each week. Topics include nutrition, physical exercise, sleep and tobacco among other things. Before and after participating in the program, pupils are tested on their knowledge. The results were very encouraging and showed improvement in understanding across all modules. Approximately 7,000 school children participated in the program during 2013 and currently all independent primary schools in Qatar are implementing the program. Over time we believe that the healthy lifestyle
messages will build a generation of people who understand the importance of self-care and are armed with practical information to live better and stay well.”
Looking ahead over 2014, the classroom will continue to be the setting for a range of programs aimed at building on the ‘We Are Healthy Kids’ success, and educating and empowering the next generation. Healthy school-snack guidelines have been developed to influence eating habits at an early age. Physical activity programs have been adopted into the core school curriculum to promote fitness and an active lifestyle in childhood and adolescence. Outside of the schoolyard but still addressing the health of the youth, a range of national dietary policies will be introduced including guidelines for marketing food and beverages to children, for example, a requirement to label sugar-sweetened drinks. In the supermarket, consumers will be able to make more informed food purchasing decisions as food-labels are brought into effect. Workplace wellness programs will address nutrition, physical activity, occupational health etc, encouraging both healthier habits in the office and workplace safety.
Mr. Robert Moorhead, Director of the NHS Program Management Office at the Supreme Council of Health, says public awareness has to be built on good education but still needs to be well supported by the availability of services. “For example …there’s no point asking people to quit smoking unless we provide easy access to support services for those people to make it achievable to quit smoking. So, at the moment, with our colleagues in primary healthcare and in the public health department here at the Supreme Council, we are building up a range of services to support people through their tobacco cessation journey, because we all know it’s a journey, it’s not an easy thing to do. Alongside community-based services such as peer support groups, the public will see increased taxes on tobacco products, warning labels on cigarette packets, and restrictions on shisha consumption, with a higher focus on enforcing tobacco laws. This is just one example of how the health sector is working together to support healthy lifestyles, there are many more across the NHS.”
Equally important to service development is that services reach people in the right place. One of the key aims of the NHS is to strengthen the foundations of primary and community care. The next few years will see a focus on shifting the balance of care away from hospitals and into the primary care setting. This will allow hospitals to focus on what they do best, delivering specialist care and will make Primary Healthcare Centers the first point of entry into the health system for most people. Currently greater than 50% of all patients who seek treatment at Hamad General Hospital’s emergency department could have been treated in primary care. While they may need to see a Doctor, their first step should be to visit a primary healthcare clinic to see a general practitioner, or ‘GP’. By going straight to a hospital, they overload the system and divert resources from genuine emergency cases.
The Primary Healthcare Corporation (PHCC) has a big role to play in supporting peoples’ wellbeing and Dr. Mariam Ali Abdulmalik, Managing Director of Primary Healthcare Corporation says both exciting and challenging times lie ahead. “We have to improve the utilization rate of primary healthcare. There is a misconception about when you should go to primary healthcare, or when you should go to secondary care or the emergency room. There are several factors that contribute to this. One is a lack of awareness in our population, so we need to focus on raising awareness of the different types of care available, and the importance of self-care.” “To fit the expanded role, the Primary Healthcare Corporation are building 18 new Primary Healthcare Centers for Qatar and this involves not just the physical enhancements but also recruiting and training existing and new staff, introducing new systems and services, and monitoring patient satisfaction to ensure the changes are effective. “We are trying to focus on expanding the role of primary healthcare in the community, rather than performing only diagnosis and treatment, or managing diseases. We will also be delivering more preventative support and health promotion in the centers,” says Dr. Mariam. She went on to say that
“the specialized wellness centers will be central to this ambition, not only treating patients who have already developed chronic diseases, but also working with at-risk patients to overcome harmful habits. This could include features such as exercise facilities or helping people improve their lifestyles under the supervision of qualified practitioners.”
While the Supreme Council of Health along with its partners, Hamad Medical Corporation and the Primary Healthcare Corporation, continue to realize the healthcare system and culture of the future, one of the most significant factors in creating a new age of wellbeing for Qatar remains beyond the reach of the National Health Strategy; to order the healthy option off the menu, make a healthy lunch, give up the tobacco habit or to step outdoors for a walk. The NHS can lead the way to a healthier lifestyle, but the commitment to living it rests within the remit of the people as equal partners in progress.
