Qatar’s health sector has continued to be highlighted on a global scale, especially since the outbreak of Covid-19.
Qatar was elected as the president of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Executive Board on Wednesday, in recognition of its ongoing support for the global entity’s efforts.
“The election is an acknowledgement by the Member States of the leading role played by the State of Qatar at the international level, and its strong support for the [WHO] in performing its mission of promoting health and wellness for all,” Doha’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) said in a statement on Thursday.
The announcement was made during the Gulf state’s participation at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, which kicked off on 21 May and ended on Tuesday. The Qatari delegation was led by its Health Minister Dr. Hanan Al-Kuwari.
“My heartfelt congratulations to Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, MOPH Minister, for being elected to serve as the next WHO Executive Board Chair. Together, for Health For All,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom said in a tweet.
On Saturday, Qatar was elected for the WHO’s executive board membership to represent the Eastern Mediterranean for three years.
On the same day, the United Nations agency granted Qatar the WHO Award for World No Tobacco Day for its success in making the 2022 FIFA World Cup “a smoke-free tournament by applying strict measures” at stadiums and fan areas.
“Dr. Hanan Mohammed Al Kuwari expressed the State of Qatar’s appreciation to the Member States for the confidence they had shown in electing the State of Qatar Chair of the Executive Board,” MoPH added.
Qatar’s health sector has continued to be highlighted on a global scale since the outbreak of Covid-19.
Earlier this month, Dr. Al Kuwari said Doha has since been recognised “among the leading countries in the world in a number of key Covid-19 indicators.”
“For example, Qatar has one of the lowest Covid-19 mortality rates in the world thanks to highly effective medical care provided to patients with Covid-19 and to one of the highest vaccination rates in the world,” Dr. Al Kuwari explained to Qatar’s state news agency earlier this month.
