Manama: A wellness promotion programme designed to encourage Qataris to lead healthy lifestyles will be showcased at an international meeting in the capital Doha.
The five-year educational campaign, ‘Sahtak Awalan’ – ‘Your Health First’ -, targets all sections of society, with a particular focus on helping young people aged between 10 and 25 years to make positive, healthy lifestyle decisions.
“Health is not limited to large-scale projects, hospitals and health centres, and it is far more important to promote health awareness and healthier lifestyles among the population,” Abdullah Bin Khalid Al Qahtani, the Qatari health minister, said as he highlighted the importance of community-wide health awareness initiatives. “These efforts directly contribute to the fulfillment of health objectives that are aligned with Qatar National Health Strategy 2011-2016 and Qatar National Vision 2030. ‘Your Health First’ is a crucial initiative due to its leading role in promoting health awareness, and it is imperative that it is presented at the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) as an Innovation Showcase that delegates could learn from, alongside other unique global healthcare innovations to be revealed at the Summit.”
The minister launched ‘Your Health First’ in 2012 with a plan to raise awareness of the issue of obesity in Qatar where 70 per cent of adults are overweight and 41 per cent obese.
The programme, run by Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q) will be among some of the world’s healthcare innovations at the second WISH Summit taking place on February 17-18 February.
The WISH’s Showcases were opened up to entries from around the globe and received 80 applications from 26 countries in all areas of health innovation, including digital health, healthcare products, design-solutions and innovative health systems and services.
Selected entries, including ‘Your Health First’, will present their ideas to more than 1,000 global healthcare experts expected at the 2015 Summit.
“It is crucial we educate and inspire our Qatari youth to take ownership of their health and their bodies to enable the best possible fitness for a lifetime of happiness and success,” Dr Javaid Sheikh, Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, said.
Professor the Lord Darzi of Denham, Executive Chair of WISH, said that the Innovation Showcases “aim to highlight new ideas that have the potential to help transform healthcare worldwide.”
