Qatar overcome ‘blockade challenges’ in medical field, continue to treat GCC patients

The illegal siege of Qatar, which has been running strong since last June, has not failed to dampen Qatar’s spirits.

One of the areas that many feared the blockade would hit hard was in the field of healthcare and medicines.

However, the country was able to take necessary steps to overcome the impact of the siege in order to ensure adequate supplies of medicine and food, according to the Minister of Public Health HE Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari.

Addressing the 71st session of the World Health Assembly in Geneva, she stressed that the unjust blockade imposed on Qatar since June 2017 violated all international conventions and agreements, reported Gulf Times.

Dr Al Kuwari said that despite the surprise factor of the blockade, the country worked on overcoming it through implementing emergency plans to deal with the situation with the aim of providing food and medicine by finding alternatives in pursuit of the national vision.

Dr Al Kuwari stressed that Qatar had continued to provide health services to all residents, including citizens of blockading nations, as the country sees health care as a fundamental human right, reported Qatar Tribune.

The minister warned blockading nations against using healthcare services as a political tool against people.

She stressed that Qatar was working hard on the continuous development of health systems for current and future generations. 

“Our country provides government-supported healthcare services across the country and is available to all citizens and residents. Qatar has witnessed a significant expansion in the number of health services and facilities in the last few years, while meeting high standards of quality,” she said.

Qatar has recently made giant strides in healthcare, with the country’s health care system rated as the best in the Middle East and 13th best in the entire world.