Qatar participates in Arab-Chinese dialogue on COVID-19

Qatar's fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has seen several significant measures aimed at protecting the health of the population.

As the country moves ahead with increased testing while also ensuring the availability of integrated facilities for the management of COVID-19 patients, it continues to maintain frequent communication with other countries and relevant world bodies to stay up-to-date with global developments and efforts to beat the virus.

In mid-March, Qatar joined a GCC meeting on COVID-19, held through video conferencing. The meeting reviewed the latest developments in the GCC countries and explored ways and additional measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

Yesterday, the country took part in a meeting that virtually brought together health officials from Arab countries, who are members of the Arab Health Ministers Council, and experts on COVID-19 from China.

The General Secretariat of the Arab League held the dialogue through video conference technology.

The director of Public Health Department at the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) Sheikh Dr Mohamed bin Hamad Al Thani together with several MoPH officials and experts, as well as representatives from Hamad Medical Corporation, represented Qatar at the meeting.

Qatar takes part in the dialogue session gathering health officials in Arab countries, members of the Arab Health Ministers Council and experts from China on Coronavirus, which was held today by the General Secretariat of the Arab League #QNA

— Qatar News Agency (@QNAEnglish) April 9, 2020

The dialogue focused on a number of key issues revolving around COVID-19, particularly the Chinese experience in tackling the epidemic.

Other topics discussed during the dialogue were: the nature of the virus, how to treat it, the risks to which the patient is exposed, the significance of early treatment, in addition to preventive and precautionary measures to curb the infectious disease.

The session came within the framework of following up the activation of Arab-Chinese cooperation in the fields of preparedness and monitoring plans between health organizations and related sectors in the Arab member states and China as well as the activation of the Beijing's initiative on Arab-Chinese cooperation in the health field, reported Qatar News Agency.

Recently, Qatar garnered praise from some United Nations officials for its local and international efforts to combat COVID-19.

Additionally, in March, the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also  spoke with Qatar's Minister of Public Health Her Excellency Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari over call and "congratulated her for HH the Emir of [Qatar's] leadership to contain coronavirus and efforts to implement a comprehensive approach to suppress and control COVID-19."

Meanwhile, health authorities in the country continue to implement the highest level of monitoring, detection, and management procedures to deal with the virus, the public has been advised to follow certain measures to safeguard their health.

For any queries, or concerns related to COVID-19 in Qatar, the public can contact a 24/7 hotline set up by the Ministry. The hotline number is 16000 and is toll-free.

Here's everything you need to know about the virus, including ways to protect yourself.

---

Make sure to check out our social media to keep track of the latest content.