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New authority to monitor food safety

DOHA: Qatar hopes to set up a Food Safety Authority and enforce a law dedicated exclusively to ensuring that all locally produced and imported foodstuff meet strict health standards and are safe for consumption. The government has given the go-ahead to form the above-said authority and the Supreme Council of Health (SCH), regulator of public and private healthcare facilities in the country, has the draft of the proposed food safety law ready. The draft, as well as the planned organisational structure of the proposed food safety authority, is to be submitted by the SCH for the necessary approvals from the higher-ups anytime this year. The SCH’s annual report for 2012 released recently says that the Council has developed new policies for food safety across different government sectors and received the green signal from the ministry to set up a food safety authority. Currently, a national level joint food monitoring committee operates under the SCH which has members from different government ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning. Among a string of other ambitious plans of the SCH this year is to begin training courses for general practitioners in the area of occupational health. The SCH is coordinating with the Ministry of Labor to finalise a strategy to ensure occupational health and safety for low-income single workers whose influx has been increasing due to a slew of mega development projects being launched for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), for its part, is going on a recruitment spree this year and hopes to hire as many as 1,700 nurses, among other medical staff, including physicians and allied professionals. In 2011 and 2012, HMC recruited 160 physicians, 894 nursing and 866 allied health professionals, according to the annual report. The corporation that runs primary healthcare centers (PHCs) has projected that by this year-end clinical staff at the PHCs will grow by a considerable 82 percent. The SCH, HMC and the PHCs had a combined workforce of 14,280 last year, up from 12,360 in 2011, data given by the annual report suggest. The SCH, according to the report, is conducting a study for an urgent paediatric care centre and a PHC in Al Sadd area of Doha. The design phase for the 10,000sqm plot of land will be conducted this year. The country’s public healthcare budget has witnessed a rapid 58.23 percent increase over the past five years. From QR5.78bn in the fiscal year 2009-10, it jumped to QR9.14bn (approved budget) this financial year (2012-13). This year, the SCH expects to set up a National Health Insurance Company (NHIC) that would be the supervisory body for the compulsory health scheme being launched by the government. The Peninsula

Al Rayyan win Emir Cup

The Emir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani hands over the Emir Cup trophy to Al Rayyan skipper Fabio Cesar at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha yesterday. Al Rayyan beat Al Sadd 2-1 to win the final of the Emir Cup, the most popular football tournament in the country. A packed Khalifa Stadium saw Al Rayyan score two quick goals in the first eight minutes and then defend stoutly to land the prized catch. (SALIM MATRAMKOT)

Private sector to manage six health centres

DOHA: The Supreme Council of Health (SCH) is planning to hand over management of three hospitals and six primary health centres to the private sector by 2015, according to SCH’s annual report released last week. Two new branches of the Medical Commission to be set up by 2015 will also be operated by private companies, says the report. The SCH has already announced plans to establish three workers-only hospitals as well as several health centres by 2015 which, it had said, will be operated by the private sector. SCH is working on a project to develop a Private Sector Involvement Strategy to identify areas for more private sector involvement in health sector and will also develop a Private Sector Engagement Strategy for effective public-private communication, says the report. The number of hospital beds outside Doha will triple by 2015 compared to 2011. The PENINSULA

Mowasalat launches ticket vending machine

Passengers line up before the ticket vending machine at Al Ghanem bus station. DOHA: Mowasalat has installed the first Ticket Vending Machine (TVM) at the main bus station in Al Ghanem which offers top-ups for Karwa smart cards used by bus passengers. The machine has been put up as a pilot project to assess customer response. A study is under way to assess the need for introducing the service in other areas of the country, Mowasalat said yesterday. Only top-ups are now available at the TVM. However, the study will explore the possibility of adding a new feature that will enable sale of new cards and payment through credit cards. The TVM is a user-friendly smart device to recharge smart cards on a 24/7 basis, providing fast and secure top-up transactions. The touch-screen is easy to use and the device offers voice assistance to customers undertaking the transactions. The machine can operate in temperatures in the range of -10°C to 70°C. The machine accepts QR1, 5, 10, 50 and 100 notes without a limit to the total amount. Since the machine does not have a refund feature, customers have been advised to pay only the amount to be used. The TVM operates in two languages — Arabic and English — and the addition of more languages will be considered in future if needed, the company said. The PENINSULA

Saudi woman conquers Everest

JEDDAH: A Saudi woman, Raha Muharraq, yesterday reached the summit of Everest, the world’s highest peak, in a first for the conservative country where women’s sports are severely restricted, her proud father said. “She reached the summit of Everest on Saturday morning. We have been able to contact her and she is very exhausted and now resting,” Hassan Muharraq told AFP. “She is very happy and we, the family, are very happy with her achievement, which was not easy.” AFP

Qatar Holding eyeing stake in Versace

MILAN: Qatar Holding and an Italian state-controlled investment fund are interested in investing in Italian fashion house Versace, Il Sole 24 Ore said yesterday. The Qatar sovereign fund is “carefully looking at” Versace, the Italian daily said, citing financial sources. The paper cited market rumours as saying the fund was flanked by FSI, the Italian strategic investment fund owned by state financing company Cassa Depositi e Prestiti. In November, Qatar Holding signed a joint venture agreement with FSI to invest in Italian companies in sectors including food, fashion and luxury. Il Sole said that there were some 10 other expressions of interest for Versace besides that of Qatar and FSI.But the paper added things were at an early stage and that the Versace owners had not decided yet whether to sell a minority stake. FSI said it did not comment on market rumours. Versace was not immediately available for a comment. Reuters

Marathon man: Record breaker

By Isabel Ovalle Ziyad Tariq Rahim, a 39-year-old Qatar resident, recently set a Guinness World Record for the shortest time to complete a marathon on each continent and the North Pole. His challenge began in Punta Arenas, Chile, and concluded 41 days and 20 hours later in the North Pole after running 3,514km. Rahim’s love affair with running began in Quebec in 2002, when he participated in his first long-distance race. A year later, he took part in his first marathon, and began a journey that would make him the first and only Pakistani to complete marathons on all seven continents — a feat he has accomplished twice now. The Canadian national of Pakistani origin has taken part in over 100 long-distance races in 32 countries. The banker, married with two children, plans his family vacations so he can compete. “Last year, I became the first Qatar resident to complete the 250-km Marathon Des Sables, considered the toughest foot race on Earth,” he said. The main motivation for him to achieve the world record was raising funds for CARE, a Pakistani non-profit organisation that provides free education to underprivileged children in the country. The association has the goal of educating one million children in a decade. Even though he also runs for Canada and Qatar, ultimately he aims to portray a positive image of his home country, which “often makes headlines for the wrong reasons,” he noted. In addition, he wants people to adopt a healthy lifestyle. “Frequently, when most people enter the work life, they get so engaged in their daily work duties and family life that they just don’t find time to exercise. I want to reach out to them and let them know that if I, with a full-time job and a family with two young kids, can do all this, then anyone can find time to incorporate exercise into their daily routine,” he said. Rahim said he trained at least thrice a week, doing so with Doha Bay Running Club whenever his schedule allowed it. He also plays squash and does cardio exercises. “I have a very stressful office job, so running for me is a stress reliever. I feel free and calm and get time to do all my planning,” he said. The veteran marathon runner explained that strength for running comes from the mind. “I put on the autopilot and I completely forget I’m running.” He also eats healthy, keeping away from fast food and eating small portions every two or three hours. While running, he drinks water or energy drinks every 15 minutes. “It’s important to stay hydrated and also eat when you’re doing a marathon,” said the expert. His Guinness challenge started on February 26 in Punta Arenas, Chile. A day later, he travelled to the southernmost continent, Antarctica, to complete a 26.2-mile race in sub-zero temperatures. He then competed in the Cyprus Marathon, in Europe; Los Angeles Marathon in North America; The Dual Trail Marathon in New Zealand; the 56K Two Oceans Ultra Marathon in South Africa; and the Dead Sea Marathon in Jordan, finishing with the North Pole on April 9. During the 41-day test, Ziyad travelled 140,700 km in economy class, which involved spending over 300 hours flying or in transit. Due to his work and family commitments, most of his travels were on weekends. “It was probably the most difficult challenge I have ever undertaken. Apart from the rigours of completing marathons in varied temperatures, the constant travel and jet lag compounded the suffering,” he revealed. He travelled to Los Angeles, Auckland, Cape Town and Cyprus on weekends, which meant that after a more than 20-hour flight, he had to run a marathon and then immediately fly back to get to office and resume work. “I was lucky that I never sustained an injury during this time, apart from the last race in North Pole, where I suffered frostbite on my nose and ears as temperatures dropped below -40 degrees Celsius during the race,” he said. For Rahim, each race was different and posed a new challenge. “The course in Antarctica was hilly, with difficult underfoot conditions, comprising mud and ice. In Cyprus, it was a historical route with the race starting at the birthplace of Aphrodite and running along the Mediterranean; while Los Angeles was magical as we went through Sunset Boulevard and Beverly Hills.” In New Zealand, he ran over volcanic rocks, while the Two Oceans Marathon in South Africa is considered the most beautiful ultra marathon in the world. In Jordan, he completed the race at the lowest point on Earth, the Dead Sea. The race at the geographic North Pole “was by far the hardest race. At times, we were in knee-deep snow; my shoes froze during the race and I constantly had to change my face mask as it was restricting my breathing. But I managed to overcome the challenges and completed the Grand Slam for my country and my family,” he concluded. The Peninsula