Qatar puts the health of the entire community on top of its priorities. The healthcare system in Qatar is marked by its focus on the quality of services provided to people and meeting their needs in the best way possible.
Five Qatar hospitals rank among the world’s top 250 academic medical centres, the highest number of hospitals from the region. The ranking was part of a new study by UK-based consultancy, Brand Finance. The four centres under Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) made it onto the list, including Rumailah Hospital, Hamad General Hospital, the National Center for Cancer Care and Research and the Heart Hospital. The fifth Doha-based entity that reached the global ranking is Sidra Medicine.
The new ranking adds to a list of achievements by Qatar’s health sector that has repeatedly received global praise, particularly during the COVID-19 outbreak. In 2016, HMC became the first healthcare system in the world to have all its hospitals accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI) under the Academic Medical Centre accreditation programme.
Qatar’s healthcare system is the best in the region. The country ranked among top 20 countries in Numbeo Healthcare Index by Country 2021. In the survey, Doha emerged as the first in the GCC on Numbeo Healthcare Index by City 2021.
Improved life expectancy, better health outcomes, and investment in health infrastructure led Qatar being ranked as 5th in the world for health on Legatum Prosperity Index in 2019. Qatar was the only country in the region to score in the top five on the annual prosperity index.
The rise in the rankings from 13th place in 2018 had been driven by the fact that Qatar has the highest life expectancy rate in the Eastern Mediterranean Region and globally ranks in the top 25 percentile for healthcare access and quality. The country’s healthcare spending is among the highest in the Middle East, with QR22.7bn invested in healthcare in 2018, a 4 percent increase from the previous year.
Qatar has been continuously improving its world-class services. Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has announced a set of system changes to enhance the outpatient appointment booking process and improve access to care for patients.
Another initiative to soon benefit patients and ensure faster access to care is the upcoming launch of evening clinics at the Ambulatory Care Center in specialties such as ophthalmology, ear, nose and throat, urology and audiology.
