The Ministry of Public Health discussed the ‘One Health Approach’ in the State of Qatar in a symposium attended by representatives from a number of ministries and concerned authorities in both the public and private sectors, as well as a number of international organizations.

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The session aimed to formulate a national plan for the implementation of ‘One Health’ in the State of Qatar within the framework of Qatar National Vision 2030.

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A number of experts and academic researchers from Qatar, the GCC countries and international organizations, participated in the symposium to exchange their experiences and the results of their research on the subject of zoonoses and emerging diseases. 

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In this regard, Hamad Al-Rumaihi, Director of Health Protection and the Communicable Disease Division, stated: “After the Covid-19 pandemic, public health approach has become an urgent issue that requires the formation of multifunctional technical teams from different fields to undertake risk assessments, investigations and conduct scientific and educational procedures that meet the needs of every sector.”

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For his part, Dr. Mohamed Jarrar, Director of the Biomedical Sciences and Health Program at the Qatar National Research Fund, explained that the symposium was in line with the State of Qatar’s approach to unify efforts to monitor and assess risks and develop appropriate measures to address them effectively.

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In her turn, Dr. Rayana Buhaqa, WHO representative to the State of Qatar, stated that the organization will harness its technical capabilities to support Qatar in adopting the ‘One Health Approach,’ which is an integrated and unified approach that aims to achieve a sustainable balance and ensure a high degree of health for humans, animals and ecosystems as a whole.

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Representatives of the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Program and the World Organization for Animal Health also participated in the symposium, in addition to the Middle East Network for Public Health, the United Nations Development Fund, the Gulf and European Centers for Disease Control, and the Municipality and Environment and Climate Change Ministries. 

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Also, in attendance were representatives from the Hamad Medical Corporation and Primary Health Care Corporation, Qatar University, Anti-Doping Laboratory, Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, and representatives of medical and veterinary laboratories and a number of private sector companies.

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It is worth noting that the Covid-19 pandemic served as an example of how to deal with and manage public health risks. The symposium, as such, provided an important opportunity to learn from previous experiences and lessons learned, in order to achieve better health and wellbeing for all residents of the State of Qatar.