Qatar ranks as the first country to receive Public Health Accreditation Board award outside the US

The national accreditation status of the US Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) has been awarded to the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH). This will make Qatar the first country to receive such accreditation outside the United States.

The Minister of Public Health, H E Dr. Hanan Mohammed Al-Kuwari, received the certificate of accreditation of public health services in Qatar from PHAB President and CEO Paul Kuehnert on October 5 in the presence of several officials from the Ministry of Public Health, Primary Health Care Corporation, Hamad Medical Corporation, and Qatar University.

The recognition is based on international high-quality standards that meet strict criteria for the public health practice that is provided at the international level.

The accreditation of public health services in Qatar comes a few weeks ahead of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, marking the first time in the history of the FIFA World Cup that a tournament is held in a country that has received international accreditation for its public health services. This boosts confidence in the application of the best public health standards during the tournament, including emergency health, mass security and other public health services.

Dr. Al-Kuwari said: "The State of Qatar, under the wise leadership of His Highness the Emir of the country, is keen to accord the health of the population the utmost priority. Our country has worked in accordance with Qatar National Vision, QNV 2030, and our health strategies to improve the health and welfare of society through an integrated and comprehensive system for effective and sustainable solutions to current and future public health challenges and through cooperation among all sectors."

The minister stressed that the PHAB international accreditation of public health services in the State of Qatar for five years comes as the culmination of the efforts and commitment of the MoPH and its partners towards the implementation of various public health services that include disease prevention, health protection, health promotion, and health emergency management based on the high-quality international standards and strict criteria for the provision of comprehensive health services with the utmost levels of commitment and transparency in all public health fields.

She added: Accreditation of public health services is the result of the great work carried out by the State of Qatar to improve public health and provide national strategies, clear and feasible plans, integrated policies, appropriate guidelines, suitable laws, training materials, advanced research efforts, innovative solutions, performance enhancement systems, continuous quality improvement programs, and local, regional, and international collaborative partnerships.

Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Bin Hamad Al Thani, Director of Public Health, said that this achievement was a further milestone in Qatar's ongoing efforts to improve public health services in the community and achieve its intended objectives. He further noted that such accreditation was also based on the findings of a site visit conducted by US PHAB experts to the State of Qatar to inspect the governance system, the administration and financial structures, the modern technologies, information security, the monitoring of the health status and the risk factors in the community, as well as the quality of health care services and health emergency management.

Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al Thani noted that "such distinguished recognition would not have been possible without the unconditional support of HE Dr. Hanan Mohammed Al-Kuwari, Minister of Public Health, the Executive Board, the Public Health Committee, the Public Health Strategy Implementation Group, as well as the commitment of MoPH departments, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), PHCC, and all relevant stakeholders from other ministries, academic and research institutions, NGOs, and private sector entities. The hard work, dedication, diligence, and teamwork of all concerned parties have contributed to delivering the best public healthcare services pre and post COVID-19. "

PHAB President and CEO Paul Kuehnert said that "PHAB and our entire public health community will be enriched by our relationship with Qatar and what we can learn from each other." He further noted: "It is the first national public health department outside the US that we have accredited since PHAB was established in 2007. The importance of this accreditation for the State of Qatar lies in strengthening the public health system in order to enhance public health practice in the community, improve performance and quality, and contribute to the creation of practical solutions in accordance with best practices." 

It is worth mentioning that the accreditation of public health services "includes tight planning to ensure success; cooperation with partners to ensure sustainability; and good performance to ensure effectiveness in various prevention, protection, and health promotion services."