SCH seeks to develop new nursing strategy

RAMY SALAMA

DOHA THE Supreme Council of Health (SCH) organised the second of a series of workshops aiming to develop a nursing strategy for Qatar.

The event was attended by 40 nursing stakeholders from both government and private health institutions in the country, including the SCH, Hamad Medical Corporation, the Armed Forces, Qatar Petroleum, the University of Calgary in Qatar’s nursing program, Sidra Hospital, Al Ahli Hospital, and the College of the North Atlantic in Qatar.

Speaking at the workshop, Dr Fariba al Darazi, regional adviser for nursing and allied health at the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, said: “The three workshops, which will be held this week, aim to provide suggestions and recommendations to officials in the Qatari health sector regarding the organisation of health practice. The final outcome, which will be based on an analysis of the current situation of nursing in the country, will become a national strategy for nursing in Qatar.” She added that activities of the week would include a number of lectures and workshops with the aim of determining the strategic directions necessary for the improvement of nursing services, including nursing practice, education, midwifery practice as well as leadership development and research.

Darazi said the main objective of the strategy would be to improve nursing services provided to patients, adding that the goal is in line with the National Health Strategy 2011-2016 as well as with regional and global trends in nursing.

The workshop also featured a number of lectures on developing strategies to reach a clear vision for nursing in Qatar.

Other speakers at the event were Fadwa Ahmad Afara, advisor to the World Nursing Council and Dr Nabila al Meer, executive director of nursing at the HMC who spoke on ‘Nursing in Qatar’.

Dr Meer lamented the shortage of qualified nurses worldwide, pointing out that the number of graduates from the University of Calgary in Qatar does not meet the demand for expert nurses in Qatar.

Meer argued that the nursing sector in Qatar needed to attract more experts from abroad to address the shortage.

The event was the second in the week-long series of workshops. The first held at the SCH headquarters assessed the current state of nursing in Qatar, the relevant regulatory procedures in each of the SCH and Hamad Medical Corporation and procedures for nursing practice, including licences and licence renewal and other related topics.