HH Sheikha Moza attends Qatar Foundation’s WISH 2024 Summit opening

HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, attended the opening of the seventh edition of Qatar Foundation’s biennial World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), at Qatar National Convention Centre on Wednesday.

The two-day event, taking place on November 13 and 14, is themed ‘Humanizing Health: Conflict, Equity, and Resilience’ and underscores the need for health innovation that supports everyone, leaves no one behind, and builds resilience, particularly for vulnerable communities and in regions affected by armed conflict.

Speakers at the opening ceremony included Qatar’s former Minister of Public Health Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, WISH Executive Chair Lord Darzi of Denham, and Dr. Christos Christou, President of Medecins Sans Frontieres.

In her opening remarks, Dr. Al Kuwari said: “Under the visionary leadership of Sheikha Moza, WISH continues to expand as a global community committed to making healthcare accessible and humane.

“At WISH, we strive to present the world’s most cutting-edge ideas and scientific advancements. But we also focus on confronting the urgent challenges before us, particularly given that Qatar holds a firm belief in our shared responsibility to foster understanding, drive progress, and uphold the spirit of global cooperation.

“This year’s theme, ‘Humanizing Health: Conflict, Equity, and Resilience’, reflects our commitment to addressing the profound health challenges people face worldwide, especially those who have, and continue to endure unimaginable hardships…. The toll of war and displacement has tested humanity’s resilience and underscored the urgent need for peace, health and protection.”

Lord Darzi of Denham spoke of challenges faced by those working to provide care during armed conflict.

“War is a healthcare catastrophe. There can never be any justification for targeting healthcare personnel or infrastructure – it’s purely and simply wrong. We must stand together to condemn such actions and honor those who courageously continue to provide care in the most appalling conditions,” he said.

Reflecting on the summit theme of conflict, equity, and resilience, Dr. Christou said he was gravely concerned that attacks on healthcare facilities and workers have become the ‘new norm.’

“We need to know that there’s a place that’s respected, and that place is a hospital. We’re scrambling without basic medicines, anesthetics, or antibiotics. There’re many doctors in Gaza who’re amputating on children without anesthetic, for example,” Dr. Christou said. 

When asked about the neutrality of Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), he reiterated that the organisation’s values remained consistent, and they treat all in need, but doctors ‘have a mandate to bear witness, to be a voice of the voiceless.… Neutrality means many things, but it doesn’t mean silence.”

A film shown during the opening ceremony told the story of 11-year-old Dareen Al Bayaa, a Palestinian girl who lost 47 members of her extended family on October 22, 2023, as a result of a devastating attack on her home in Gaza, with only Dareen and her five-year-old brother surviving and being taken to Doha for medical treatment.

“Why is it OK for me to suffer? Is this fair?” asked Dareen in the film.

Ahead of the summit, WISH entered into a strategic partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO), collaborating on the development of a series of evidence-based reports and policy papers, as well as working with the United Nations’ health agency to develop a post-summit implementation strategy. 

Day one of the summit hosted discussion forums based on reports published by WISH and the WHO, alongside roundtable discussions and open sessions.

The first main discussion of the day was based on the joint WISH and WHO 2024 report titled ‘In the line of fire: Protecting health in armed conflict’, chaired by Richard Brennan, the Regional Emergency Director of the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office of the WHO.

He was joined by expert speakers including Qatar Red Crescent Society President Yousuf Al Khater and Sigrid Kaag, the United Nations’ Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza.

This forum was followed by a discussion on antimicrobial resistance, based on the report: ‘Tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR): How to keep antibiotics working for the next century’, chaired by the report’s co-author Professor Dame Sally Davies, UK Special Envoy for AMR.

She was joined by Dr. Karin Tegmark Wisell, Sweden’s Ambassador for Global Health; Dr. Hanan Balkhy, the Regional Director of the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office of the WHO; Dr. Christos Christou; and Dr. Nour Shamas, a member of the AMR Narrative.

The final main discussion of the summit’s first day was based on the report ‘AI and Healthcare Ethics in the Gulf Region: An Islamic Perspective on Medical Accountability,’ and discussed the ethics of Artificial Intelligence in healthcare.

This session featured the report’s lead author Dr. Mohammed Ghaly, Professor of Islam and Bioethics at the Centre for Islamic Legislation and Ethics of Qatar Foundation’s Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), and an expert panel including Dr. Barry Solaiman, Assistant Professor of Law at HBKU.

Alongside discussions based on WISH reports, additional sessions took place on topics such as women’s cancer, palliative care, and the war in Sudan.

The summit has brought together more than 200 experts in health to discuss evidence-based ideas and practices in healthcare innovation with the aim of addressing the world’s most urgent global health challenges.