Doha, September 30 (QNA) - Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) concluded its 1st Annual Scientific Conference on Saturday, in partnership with the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), Qatar Medical Association (QMA), and Qatar Family and Community Medicine Society.
Titled "Updates on Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) at the Primary Health Care Level", the three-day event was attended by 26 speakers, 334 physical participants, and 414 remote participants from QRCS and other primary health care (PHC) organizations in Qatar, sponsored by several medical and pharmaceutical companies.
The conference consisted of 10 main sessions and 27 sub-session on a number of the most important medical topics such as non-communicable diseases among craft and manual workers, empowering the community to ensure effective prevention and control of non-communicable diseases, and patient-centered health care in relation to diabetes, heart attack and diabetes, as well as chronic kidney failure associated with diabetes.
The topics discussed included neurological disorders caused by diabetes, vision problems associated with diabetes, high blood pressure, thyroid disorders, mental health and diabetes, diabetic foot, management of asthma, hyperlipidemia, intolerance to statins, hyper- and hypothyroidism, and resistant hypertension.
In his opening speech, HE President of QRCS Yousef bin Ali Al Khater referred to QRCS's long history of providing medical services in Qatar. Its Medical Affairs Division provides PHC services at Workers' Health Centers, under an agreement with MOPH; manages the country's second-largest ambulance fleet, just behind HMC; and holds medical courses and public health education workshops.
He emphasized the significant growth of QRCS's Medical Affairs Division over the years: "During 2022, the Workers' Health Centers received more than 1.2 million patients. This year, Medical Affairs Division obtained the platinum-level accreditation from Accreditation Canada having met 97.8 percent of the standard criteria of quality health services".
"This 1st QRCS Annual Scientific Conference builds upon a track record of development and achievements," added HE Al Khater. "Now that we have 45 years behind, we hope that we will continue to break new grounds in the coming years. We are inspired by the government's public health schemes and aspirations, towards the goals and pillars of Qatar National Vision 2030." For his part, Board member, Director-General of Medical Affairs Division at QRCS, and chairman of the conference Dr. Abdul-Salam Ali Al Qahtani, said, "The conference focuses on certain chronic or NCDs, especially diabetes, in view of their prevalence, heavy burden on the health system, and too serious implications for some economies to deal with, let alone their psychosocial impacts that make them even harder to control".
According to him, the diversity of topics discussed by the conference gave the participants, across specializations and levels, a great opportunity to learn, update information, gain experience, and spread awareness of how to treat patients with chronic diseases - especially those with critical complications - at the PHC level, ways of prevention, and timely referral to secondary health care (SHC).
He noted, "This conference is aimed at highlighting the importance of the education of patients, engaging them effectively in the self-management of chronic diseases, applying the latest evidence-based and informed guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of NCDs, and designing health care plans that help prevent, or detect as early as possible, the complications before they become incurable." Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of QRCS's Medical Affairs Division Dr. Hassan Ali Qassim explained that the conference qualified the physical participants to get 15.50 continuing professional development (CPD) credit hours, which would help them meet the licensing renewal requirements approved by MOPH's Department of Healthcare Professions. (QNA)