| Total population (Q1 2015) | 2,311,672 |
|---|---|
| Gross national income per capita (PPP international $, 2011) | 80,470 |
| Life expectancy at birth m/f (years, 2012) | 79/80 |
| Probability of dying under five (per 1 000 live births, 0) | not available |
| Probability of dying between 15 and 60 years m/f (per 1 000 population, 2012) | 73/51 |
| Total expenditure on health per capita (Intl $, 2012) | 1,805 |
| Total expenditure on health as % of GDP (2012) | 2.2 |
Qatar’s healthcare services are internationally recognized and are of a high standard, comparable to other developed countries. The healthcare system is available to all, regardless of residency or nationality, and it offers the most advanced medical equipment and highly qualified staff as well as a countrywide network of hospitals and healthcare centers.
Qatar’s public healthcare is regulated by the Supreme Council of Health (SCH). It was established by Emiri decree in 2005. The key functions of the SCH are to create a clear vision for the nation’s health direction and to guarantee a quality of public healthcare which matches the best in the world. It supervises the quality and effectiveness of service delivered by primary care and hospital and other public and private sector health service providers to ensure adherence to quality standards and continual improvement of performance. read more
The National Health Strategy 2011-2016 (NHS) is a comprehensive program of reforms, aligned to the Qatar National Vision 2030 that will advance Qatar’s Healthcare Vision of creating a world-class, patient-centered healthcare system.
The National Health Strategy 2011-2016 is intended to propel Qatar toward the health goals and objectives contained in Qatar National Vision 2030:
The National Health Strategy 2011-2016 is a strategy for reform with far-reaching and fundamental changes across Qatar’s entire healthcare system. read more
The Supreme Council of Health itself does not provide direct healthcare services; rather, these are the responsibility of public health care providers, such as the Hamad Medical Corporation and other private healthcare providers.
Since its establishment, Hamad Medical Corporation has become Qatar’s leading non-profit healthcare provider, offering its patients a nationwide network of Primary Health Care Centers and highly specialized hospitals.
Besides Hamad Medical Corporation as a non-profit healthcare provider, there is also a number of private medical service facilities providing healthcare to the public. Private practices and clinics offer a full scope of medical services, from specialist consultations, through dentistry, rehabilitation, home nursing care or hospital procedures and surgeries.
Qatar’s Preventive Health Department is responsible for fighting contagious diseases; carrying out vaccination, immunization and food and quarantine watch control; providing health education in the field of mother and child care insuring environmental health and safety. Apart from contagious diseases, a section for incommunicable diseases was set up comprising three units: tobacco control unit, chronic diseases and accidents control and statistics unit and nutrition unit.
The State of Qatar offers a comprehensive vaccination program for newborns, infants and children; and it was one of the first countries to add anti-influenza vaccine B to their newborns comprehensive immunization programs. To raise public awareness and to encourage population’s participation in immunization, the State of Qatar has initiated nation-wide immunization campaigns against contagious diseases.
Qatar’s healthcare sector has grown steadily since the opening of the country’s first hospital almost 50 years ago. According to the recent World Health Statistics reports by World Health Organization, there has been a massive increase in public spending on healthcare in Qatar in the last years, and the country is currently at the top of the per capita health expenditure list among the Gulf Cooperation Council (for more information please visit the World Health Organization website.
The National Health Strategy (NHS) is a comprehensive program of reforms, aligned to theQatar National Vision 2030 that will advance Qatar’s Healthcare Vision of creating a world-class, patient-centered healthcare system.
The strategy incorporates the following principles which underpin the Supreme Council of Health’s National Health Vision 2020: Caring For The Future – Establishing a Healthy Vibrant Society, and aims to enhance the wellness of the people of Qatar so that a vibrant, healthy, and productive society can be established for today, and for the future:
Qatar’s Supreme Council of Health (SCH) was established by Emiri decree in 2005. It replaced the former Health National Health Authority and Ministry of Public Health.
As noted on the SCH website,
The SCH’s role is to create a clear vision for the nation’s health direction, set goals and objectives for the country, design policies to achieve the vision, regulate the medical landscape, protect the public’s health, set the health research agenda, and monitor and evaluate progress towards achieving those objectives.
Another key SCH function is oversight of the quality and effectiveness of service delivered by primary care and hospital and other public and private sector health service providers to ensure that standards are met and performance targets achieved.
The SCH has a special role to play in ensuring that the public health of the country receives adequate attention. It oversees public health programs related to the control of infectious diseases, and coordinates with other agencies on environmental and public safety promotion. It is also our responsibility to ensure that the nation is prepared for any public health emergency
In short, the SCH is the steward of the health of Qatar’s people. It has the dual mandate to develop policies and programs to improve the people’s health so that they may enjoy longer and more productive lives, and to lay the foundation for a vibrant country for decades to come.
The Medical Licensing Department (MLD) establishes, maintains, and updates a register of licensed health practitioners and health service facilities in Qatar. The MLD licenses physicians, nurses, dentists, pharmacists and a range of allied health practitioners, including psychologists, opticians, chiropractors, audiologists, paramedics, podiatrists, speech therapists, midwives, physiotherapists, dieticians, dental hygenists, and medical technicians.
The SCH website also notes, “From 1 April 2010, all applicants from the practitioner groups listed below will be required to successfully complete a licensing examination as part of the evaluation process:
The exams are offered at Prometric testimg centres in 164 countries worldwide.
The license issuance fees are:
They have recently introduced an online register for physicians, dentists, nurses and pharmacists, showing information about licensed practitioners, including their qualifications and scope of practice.
The SCH does not provide direct healthcare services; rather, these are the responsibility of public health institutions, such as the Hamad Medical Corporation and other private healthcare providers.
The Hamad Medical Corporation is made up of several hospital sites:
HMC also operates numerous primary care centres.
Coming soon:
There are also other hospitals in the country, including several private hospitals and small specialty sports medicine hospital.
Child malnutrition estimates by WHO Child Growth Standards
Below you can open the data and reference tables for this country based on the WHO Child Growth Standards. This database is regularly being updated. To open the tables click on the links below:
Data, Last update: 17 April 2012
References, Last update: 17 April 2012
For detailed information:
WHO Child Growth Standards website
Child malnutrition estimates by NCHS/WHO reference
Prior to April 2006 survey data were analyzed using the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)/World Health Organization (WHO) international reference population. These results, available below, are posted here for historical reasons and are no longer being updated.
Qatar: statistics summary (2002 – present).
