Mental health and wellbeing is one of the seven population priorities of the National Health Strategy 2018-2022 which aims to improve access, reduce stigma and integrate physical and mental health care.
The National Mental Health Helpline, launched in April 2020, has been instrumental in responding to a demand for easier access to confidential mental health support. Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Mental Health Service has been recently announced as a joint winner of the Oracle Cerner ‘Achievement in User Experience’ award during the awards ceremony at the Oracle Cerner Middle East and Africa Collaboration Forum in Dubai.
The ‘behavioural health implementation with first Middle East Behavioural Health Essential Clinical Dataset’ project was recognised for focusing on specialised documentation for mental health patients, with a key focus on patient confidentiality. The award was collected by Dr. Raed Amro, Assistant Executive Director of the Mental Health Service at the MHS on behalf of HMC.
The annual Middle East and Africa Collaboration Forum is a knowledge-sharing event designed for Oracle Cerner client healthcare leaders, clinicians, and IT professionals. More than 170 senior healthcare representatives from various organisations and hospitals attended this year.
Also in October 2021, the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office announced that Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), represented by the Mental Health Service, had won an international Health Workers Recognition Award at its regional committee meeting. The award recognised the untiring efforts and service of healthcare workers throughout year 2021, especially in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among the select group of award winners announced at the committee meeting was Dr. May Al Muraisi, Senior Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Director for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services at Hamad Medical Corporation, who won the Service Delivery Award.
Meanwhile, the National Mental Health Helpline has four support streams, offering help to parents with children, adults and elderly and there is a specific stream for healthcare professionals. The free and confidential service has become the primary access point to mental health care and treatment in Qatar.
Qatar’s mental health service has undergone a major transformation in the last two decades, as a result of health strategies and policies implemented in the country. Mental health services have seen a transition from hospital-based to community-based care. The new comprehensive and integrated mental health system offers treatment in a range of settings.
