Manama: Shaikha Moza Bint Nasser, the Chairperson of the non-profit Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development has announced the launch of the ‘Qatar Genome’.

“In Qatar, when we strived to build our all-inclusive culture of health, we transformed our health centers into research and academic centers, which incorporate hands on experience,” Shaikha Moza said.

“As a result of the integration of scientific research and the clinical realities, I am pleased to announce the project ‘Qatar Genome’, a project that consists of a road map for future treatment of personalized medicine,” she said as she opened the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) in the Qatari capital Doha on Tuesday.

Shaikha Moza said that education and health were the most pressing social and developmental issues of the world and pushed for innovation as a critical factor in devising solutions to face challenges.

“Innovation is embodied in our way of thinking,” she said. “It is the mechanism by which we solve problems and the way in which we place policies and programs. Of course, this is in addition to, the development of technology. Innovation is not only about finding better treatments, rather it can produce methods to reduce the need for those treatments,” she said.

One method is to instill health education in citizens and encourage them to engage in healthy behaviour and activities.

“During this conference, we aim to provide the ideal environment for intellectual interchange of ideas and to benefit from our shared experiences in the search for comprehensive, pioneering solutions that cover the necessities of each specialty,” she said.

Shaikha Moza insisted that challenges should be turned into opportunities to promote innovation.

“Such challenges inspire us all with a spirit of moral, intellectual and practical partnership in using innovation as a means of creating solutions. When we succeed in achieving progress in healthcare, we succeed in preserving the future and future generations,” she said.

According to Shaikha Moza, the health conference is the outcome of efforts aligned with an integrated development plan.

“We launched the World Innovation Summit for Education in 2009, and the Annual Research Conference in 2010. Today, we convene at WISH, which constitutes the third pillar in the triad: Education, health and scientific research,” she said.

Obesity, mental health, road injuries, accountable care, and big data and healthcare are being taken up by the conference bringing together more than 600 policymakers, industry experts and practitioners from over 50 countries, to explore new approaches and solutions to the most pressing global healthcare challenges.