Doctors who are being trained by WHO EMRO on occupational and environmental health.
DOHA: Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) in collaboration with the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office (EMRO) of the World Health Organisation (WHO) began a five-day training programme for health practitioners on occupational and environmental health. The workshops by experts from WHO EMRO office will train the second batch of practitioners consisting of 50 doctors of HMC and primary healthcare centres and Qatari Red Crescent.
Workers in various places have to deal with hazardous materials while at work and hence there is an urgent need to lessen the risks associated. A number of countries are moving to revise health system to be based on primary healthcare to deliver services and achieve maximum benefit at lower cost while ensuring high quality.
Dr Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani, Director of Public Health Department, MoPH, in his speech, delivered on his behalf by Dr Mohammed Ali Mohammed Al Hajjaj, head of occupational health at MoPH, praised WHO-EMRO which sent five occupational health doctors and consultants to implement the training programme. He stressed that health sector in Qatar aspires for an effective and strong partnership with WHO.
Meanwhile, Dr Al Hajjaj, said that the programme is being conducted with videos and studies of clinical cases. It will also provide participants a chance to visit worksites to study and identify potential problems and working conditions. They will also look into preventing occupational errors, reporting worksite injuries and feeding these data on to MoPH website. These efforts are aimed at supporting MoPH’s efforts to make the workplace free of occupational injuries, hazards and death. MoPH is planning to conduct three other training workshops by 2017.
The workshop aims to increase the number of occupational health specialists, here, by training physicians in primary healthcare, and develop the concept of maintaining the highest quality standards for health and safety in the workplace. It also focuses on stressing the role of the doctor in the results management and prevention of occupational diseases and worksite accidents.
The growing international interest in occupational health comes due to extensive use of manufacturing materials, modern production methods, and the impact these have on human health and the environment.
The workshop is part of the MoPH’s plans to provide better health care for workers in industrial, construction and economic sectors in order to improve the health of workers. The initiative is in tune with the occupational health project of the National Health Strategy.
