Doha, The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) recently organized a training course for the second group of practicing physicians and other health specialties on basic occupational health services at the Itqan Clinical Simulation and Innovation Center at Hamad Bin Khalifa Medical City (HBKMC).
The course is a part of the MOPH’s keenness to provide the best occupational and environmental healthcare services to workers in all industrial, construction, economic, and service settings. The training course was organized to improve the health of workers in both the government and private sector, increasing the efficiency of specialists in the field of occupational health, training doctors working in primary health care, and developing the concept of maintaining the highest quality of health and safety in the workplace, as well as understanding the role of doctors in managing and preventing the results of occupational diseases and accidents related to the work environment.
The course helped the participants acquire skills related to the different illnesses connected to the workplace, developing their abilities to integrate the patient’s professional history with his medical history considering his clinical examinations. It explained also the necessity to understand and gain the needed skills to examine occupational health performance and other necessary examinations upon need, as well as to understand the role of the physician in managing the occupational consequences due to illnesses and injuries, like changing jobs, or rehabilitation.
A group of experts and consultants in the field of occupational health and occupational medicine presented the course, where the training was provided to 37 practicing physicians and of other health specialties from the Primary Health Care Corporation, the Qatar Red Crescent workers’ centers, the institutions, and corporate doctors on basic occupational health services.
In his speech during the course, Dr. Mohammed Ali Al Hajjaj, Director of Occupational Health at the Ministry of Public Health, praised the cooperation between the Ministry of Public Health and the concerned authorities in the country in the field of occupational health, pointing to the participation of 6 experts and consultants in the field of occupational health from Qatar Energy, HMC and PHCC.
Dr. Al-Hajjaj added that the course comes as a continuation of the training program for physicians working in primary health care, where a group of practicing doctors and other specialties have been trained during the past years from various entities in the country. The Ministry of Public Health aims through this training to contribute to achieving the goal of making all workplaces in the State of Qatar free of diseases and injuries associated with work as a part of Qatar National Vision 2030.
He pointed out that during the training course, the level of knowledge about occupational health and occupational medicine was transferred and enhanced to primary health care physicians to support and improve occupational health practices and provide services, which are reflected in the increase of medical practices to cover the shortage of professionals in the field of occupational health, especially among primary health care doctors. Interactive lectures as well as literature and videos were presented including a series of training discussions on some cases and how to deal with them.
He explained that the course came within the action plan to train medical personnel in the field of occupational health services, pointing to the continuation of workshops and training courses in the field of occupational health in the coming years, stating that the Ministry of Public Health is currently working in cooperation with the Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean of the World Health Organization to complete the final phase of preparing an advanced training program for a period of 10 days to develop the level of practicing physicians and other specialties in the field of occupational medicine, especially in light of the small number of doctors working in the field of occupational medicine globally and locally.
He valued the role of doctors participating in the course, who will contribute to improving the occupational health services provided to all citizens and residents, especially craftsmen, pointing to the aspiration of the health sector in the State of Qatar for a strong and effective partnership with the public and private sectors in this field.
It is noteworthy that the rate of hazards and injuries associated with work and occupational diseases is still high worldwide, as dangerous exposures in the workplace are considered an important problem in many countries around the world, and require great efforts to reduce and eliminate them, which poses a great challenge, especially in the most vulnerable workplaces.
Many countries of the world seek to reformulate their health system based on the principles and values of primary health care to provide services and achieve maximum benefit at a lower cost while ensuring high quality. The growing international interest in occupational health comes due to the spread of industrial materials and modern production methods and their negative effects on environmental and human health.
Source: Qatar News Agency