DOHA: The health sector in Qatar will get a major boost with a budgetary allocation of QR8.6bn in the current fiscal year, showing a major growth compared to last year.
A senior official of the Supreme Council of Health (SCH) said that the allocations on health had gone up by 20 percent compared to last year, which is in view of the several major projects that are currently under way.
Allocations on health account for seven percent of the overall budgetary allocations. Of the total 8.6bn, QR53m has been earmarked to complete construction of new hospitals and other health care facilities.
H E Dr Faleh Mohamed Hussain, Assistant Minister for Health Strategies at SCH said a major portion of the allocations will be used in various projects of the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), which is the leading health care service provider in the country.
Establishment of several new hospitals and primary health centers across the country in the next few years could bring a sea change in health care scenario in Qatar, by taking away much of the burden and crowding from the Hamad General Hospital.
Qatar is also gearing up to launch its ambitious national health insurance scheme that will cover all nationals and expatriates. The proposed scheme has been described as the best in the Arab region.
The SCH has already announced plans to establish three hospitals and five health centres exclusively dedicated to expatriate workers. Three of the five health centres will be ready by the end of this year, said Faleh Mohamed. The facilities will be located in areas with a high population of low-income expatriate workers.
“We are also looking forward to completing the Dukhan Hospital project,” said Faleh Mohamed.
The New Western District Hospital in Dukhan is a secondary care hospital that will provide advanced health care services to the populations in Dukhan, Um Bab and Jumailia and surrounding areas.
He said the budgetary support would help the SCH to accomplish some of the main projects that are currently under way and launch the second phase of the health insurance plan, he added.
The HMC, on the other hand, has been expanding its services with establishment of several new and state-of-the-art facilities.
Work is currently under way on the Cardiology Hospital, Children’s Hospital, Al Wakra Hospital, new Women’s Hospital and the Rehabilitation Center at the Hamad Medical City, besides the Dukhan Hospital.
The Sidra Medical and Research Center at the Qatar Foundation that is scheduled to open in 2012 is expected to take healthcare services in Qatar to further heights.