The efforts of the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) to transform Qatar’s healthcare sector and play an important role at the international level, with the guidance and help of country’s leadership, are not only recognised and praised in the country, the region but also globally. The Ministry in recent years has won many international accolades for its endeavours and successive achievements.
Recently, the Executive Board of the World Health Organization (WHO) elected the State of Qatar as President of the Board at its 153rd session for a period of one year.
The election is an acknowledgement by the Member States of the leading role played by the State of Qatar at the international level, and its strong support for the World Health Organization in performing its mission of promoting health and wellness for all.
Earlier before being elected as President of the Board, during the World Health Assembly meetings, the Qatari delegation headed by Minister of Public Health H E Dr. Hanan Muhammad al-Kuwari, was elected to membership in the Executive Board of the World Health Organization as a representative of the Eastern Mediterranean Region for three years.
Minister of Public Health H E Dr. Hanan Mohammed Al Kuwari expressed Qatar’s appreciation to the Member States for the confidence they had shown in electing the State of Qatar Chair of the Executive Board, and confirmed to work closely with the Member States and the WHO’s governing bodies to implement the goals of the World Health Organization and achieve universal health coverage.
The main functions of the Board are to implement the decisions and policies of the Health Assembly, and advise and generally to facilitate its work. The Board is composed of 34 members who are technically qualified in the field of health, and they meet at least twice a year.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Health also recently received the World Health Organization Award for World No Tobacco Day (WNTD Award) in recognition of its efforts in cooperation with the relevant authorities in Qatar to make the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 a smoke-free tournament by applying strict measures to combat smoking inside and outside stadiums and fan areas.
The award came as a culmination of efforts by MoPH and the authorities concerned to make the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 activities smoke-free by applying strict anti-smoking measures inside and outside the stadiums, especially in the fan areas to ensure the enjoyment of the tournament guests with smoke-free air, as well as imposing a complete ban on smoking during the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2021.
