The myriad opportunities emerging in Qatar for new providers in healthcare were among the topics explored by Peter Morris, CEO, Sidra Medical and Research Centre, in a wide-ranging interview he gave recently to Oxford Business Group (OBG).
Morris was talking to the global research and consultancy firm as Qatar’s plans to sharpen its focus on addressing the rise in lifestyle-related, chronic conditions, such as diabetes and obesity, and boost in-country, specialised service provision begin to take shape, following the launch of the National Health Strategy (2018 – 2022) in March.
The medical and research centre, which welcomed its first inpatients in January, now provides a broad range of specialist and emergency services for women, children and adolescents, which covers all paediatric medical and surgical specialities including cardiology and cardiac surgery, neurology and neurosurgery, and obstetrics gynaecology. Its A&E and emergency departments became operational in July, and Sidra Medicine now also offers robotic surgery. Further expansion and new services are in the pipeline this year.
“By investing in developing new, modern and specialised care, healthcare providers in Qatar can continue to develop internal, domestic capacity in the country and localise the provision of treatment, thereby avoiding the need for foreign travel for treatments at considerable additional cost, and providing very specialised high quality care in Qatar,” Morris told OBG. “Through innovation, service development and improvements, healthcare operators are not only strengthening the quality and accessibility of care, they are also contributing to long-term sustainability and growth in health services, health and life sciences research and in human capital.”
Healthcare provision is one of several sectors that have been earmarked for development as part of Qatar’s efforts to promote economic diversification and move towards a knowledge-led economy.
As the private sector moves into a more central role, industry players are expected to increase their contribution to GDP, and, in addition, play a bigger part in areas such as system design and policy planning by sharing expertise and devising best practices.
Morris said there was plenty of scope for healthcare providers to invest in specialised, high-tech services, in education and training and in research, in line with the country’s health strategies and the national vision.
“Expanding the role of private sector operators in delivering care and healthcare research in Qatar offers a developmental opportunity for the healthcare sector,” Morris noted. “We can move beyond providing extra capacity and adding value through academic research and, instead, increase cooperation and collaboration with other operators – both public and private – to plan the future delivery of services and meet projected demand.”
Morris’s comments form part of the research for The Report: Qatar 2019, the Group’s forthcoming publication on the country’s investment opportunities and economic development.
Qatar’s rapidly changing health sector and the objectives outlined in the new National Health Strategy will be a key focus of the report.
OBG will analyze how the country plans to meet growing demand for healthcare provision and relieve pressure on government services while eyeing a target of increasing the contribution made by private sector players to the health sector by 25% within the next four years.
The report will look, in particular, at the national drive to build domestic capacity and develop local capabilities, especially in key areas, such as special treatment technology and more advanced fields of medicine.
It will also explore the move underway among providers to team up with universities to provide clinical training and rotation programmes for students, such as Sidra’s National Development Strategy 2.0 and the facility’s partnership with Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q), which is seen as a pivotal part of plans to bring through the human resources that will be needed to staff the sector in the future.
The Report: Qatar 2019 will be a vital guide to the many facets of the country, including its macroeconomics, infrastructure, banking and other sectoral developments.
The publication will contain a detailed, sector-by-sector guide for investors, alongside contributions from leading personalities. It will be produced with the Ministry of Economy and Commerce, Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Al Sulaiti Law Firm. The report will be available in print and online.
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