DOHA: In an important move to enhance the wellbeing of children and adolescents in the country, integrated healthcare services are to be established soon.
They will be established in collaboration with different stakeholders across the health sector, building a national network and implementing evidence-based practices to improve health and provide better care, said Dr Sadriya Al Kohji, National Health Strategy Lead for Healthy Children and Adolescents.
Healthy Children and Adolescents are one of the seven priority population groups identified in the National Health Strategy (NHS) 2018-2022. It aims to give practical help to parents, teachers and care givers to create a healthy environment for children and adolescents.
“About half a million population in Qatar consists of children and adolescents. They experience several health issues related to physical and psychological problems during their growth.
"The importance of psychosocial support for children and adolescents throughout their journey should not be ignored as it affects all other aspects of the health and wellbeing,” said Dr Al Kohji talking to media persons recently.
The NHS focuses on improving breast-feeding practices, healthy diet and physical activities and decreasing dental caries.
“We will also be looking at developing healthy schools, tobacco control, maintaining high vaccination coverage, integrated paediatric practice at different levels of care, child safety, adolescent friendly services and improving parental literacy,” said Dr Al Kohji, who is also Consultant in Community Medicine and Head of Child and Adolescent Health Service Development and Health Promotion at the Primary Health Care Corporation.
The NHS also aims at a 25 percent reduction in the prevalence of dental caries among children less than 5 years old, 15 percent increase in the level of exclusive breast-feeding of children at six months of age and 25 percent increase in the proportion of adolescents who meet recommended levels of physical activity by 2022.
Following the launch of the new National Health Strategy 2018-2022, the Minister of Public Health H E Dr Hannan Al Kuwari appointed 12th NHS Leads to spearhead designing services around the seven Priority Population Groups and the five areas of health system improvement.
