A 10 day course with modules in planning, monitoring and evaluation in Disease Control Programmes was held at the Supreme Council of Health (SCH) in Doha, Qatar from 13 – 24 January. The course was hosted at the Training & Development Department of the SCH, led by Ms Maryam Al Sulaiti, and was facilitated by Ms Hanan Abdelmajeed and Ms Muna Al-Deik.
The course targets experienced health professionals working in public health and health interventions and was delivered by experts from LSTM. The training is designed to develop skills and experience in the use of up to date data tools to plan, monitor and evaluate specific programmes relevant to the health sector.
In his opening address, H.E. Dr. Mohammed Althani and Director of Public Health at the SCH, stressed the importance of monitoring and evaluation as a management tool for the promotion of transparency and accountability and consequently the attainment of good governance as recognised by the Government of Qatar. He pointed out that Qatar has a clear commitment to transform itself into a knowledge-based society by 2030. Partnerships with leading international institution, such as LSTM, are essential: To share knowledge; help capacity development and institutionalise best practice in the design and implementation of Disease Control Programmes. These partnerships will help to realise Qatar’s Strategic Plan for Health which is part of Qatar’s overall 2030 vision for better public health.
Dr. Mohammed Al Hajiri, the head of the Department of Communicable Diseases Control and course organiser, participated in the Opening Session and elaborated how the training course will help meet the needs of Qatar in the subject area. The course received wide coverage in the local Arabic and English media.
Qatar’s SCH is implementing a programme “Caring for the Future” to improve the wellbeing of the people of the country. It aims to establish a vibrant, healthy and productive society. As part of this aim the SCH seeks to ensure that its staff receives the highest quality training available to allow them to provide services of an international standard. To achieve this, a memorandum of understanding between the LSTM and the SCH was signed in March 2012 to provide a framework for co-operation between both organisations. With their complementary aims of improving healthcare and vision for excellence, the SCH and LSTM are well suited to work in partnership to develop a healthcare system of international standing.
The course was delivered in collaboration with LSTM’s new Centre for Health in the Eastern Mediterranean (CHEM) led by Dr Amir Hassan, MBBCh PhD, which works with Ministries of Health, Schools of Public Health, universities, healthcare organisations, research institutions and other organisations in the region to assist them in the delivery of training, research and technical assistance.