Qatar Health

Health services in Qatar are in the midst of transition, with a new national health insurance scheme progressively being implemented. While government officials maintain the system will improve medical outcomes and efficiency, the private sector has objected to their limited responsibilities under the new regime.

Seeking to reduce the incidence of diabetes and lower the costs affiliated with its treatment, Qatar is stepping up efforts to encourage healthy lifestyles via education and informational campaigns that focus on proper diet and nutrition. The growth of private health care centres and the imminent arrival of mandatory health insurance should also play a part in stemming the disease’s growth.

On April 3, 2011, Qatar officially launched the National Health Strategy (NHS) 2011-16, the government’s plan to upgrade and improve the country’s health care sector. Based on principles originally outlined in National Vision 2030, Qatar’s long-term development programme, the NHS has the potential to bring about substantial changes to the sector.