Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Public Health, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), organized a workshop on Qatar’s National Tuberculosis Plan 2026–2030, with the participation of representatives from government and private health entities and partners concerned with the fight against tuberculosis in Qatar.
In his opening statement, Director of Health Protection and Communicable Diseases Control Department at the Ministry of Public Health, Dr Hamad Eid Al Romaihi emphasised that the National Tuberculosis Plan was developed in collaboration with relevant national authorities and the World Health Organization (WHO).
The plan aims to sustain the progress already achieved, address emerging challenges, and intensify efforts to eradicate tuberculosis.
He explained that the plan outlines a comprehensive roadmap to eradicate tuberculosis, focusing on priority groups while accounting for Qatar's unique demographic characteristics and population mobility patterns.
He emphasised the importance of ongoing collaboration among all stakeholders to effectively implement the National Tuberculosis Plan, which aims to reduce the disease burden and promote public health in Qatar.
The workshop aimed to prepare the National Tuberculosis Plan, raise awareness of its strategic objectives, and strengthen national efforts to combat and prevent tuberculosis in line with the World Health Organization's (WHO) strategy to eradicate the disease.
It also aimed to support the State of Qatar's efforts to reach the pre-eradication stage and to enhance cooperation among the concerned authorities to implement the national plan.
The workshop was conducted by Professor Giovanni Battista Migliori, Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases and Head of the Global Tuberculosis Network, along with Dr Martin van den Bom, Regional Adviser for Tuberculosis, HIV, Hepatitis, and Sexually Transmitted Diseases at the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean.
The workshop addressed several key topics, notably reviewing the global and regional landscape of tuberculosis and analysing the current tuberculosis situation in the State of Qatar.
Additionally, the workshop evaluated the rationale for developing the National Tuberculosis Plan, outlining its strategic objectives, implementation mechanisms, and performance indicator monitoring.
It also reviewed strategic interventions to enhance early case detection, expand screening and treatment of latent TB infections, and strengthen contact tracing for high-risk groups.
The workshop also examined the objectives of the plan to reduce the incidence of tuberculosis, minimise the occurrence of drug-resistant tuberculosis, and bolster preventive treatment programs, thereby supporting the State of Qatar's endeavour to reach the pre-eradication stage.
Participants stressed the importance of continuing cooperation among concerned authorities and national and international partners to support the implementation of the National TB Plan and follow up on performance indicators, thereby enhancing efforts to combat the disease and achieve the plan's goals in the coming years.
