Qatari women have been working in the field of health, as doctors, nurses and leaders in important medical specializations, where they all have made efforts to combat the virus. These efforts have been led by H.E. Minister of Public Health Dr. Hanan Al Kuwari, who assumed her position in 2016 and previously held the position of Director General of Hamad Medical Corporation. Besides the efforts of the Minister of Public Health to tackle the coronavirus, Qatari women are in the forefront to overcome the pandemic crisis, whether in the health sector through working in the hospitals and health centres or through the Supreme Committee for Crisis Management, as H.E. Lolwah Rashid Al Khater is the Committee's Official Spokesperson, or as volunteers.

The role played by Qatari women in tackling the Coronavirus pandemic is well known and was appreciated and praised by the UN and internationally. H.E. Minister of Public Health Dr. Hanan Mohammed Al Kuwari reviewed in a high-level international meeting held through video conference recently, the important role played by women in Qatar in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

H.E. the Minister also underlined the significant role carried out by H.H. Sheikha Moza bint Nasser at the local and international levels, noting that she has joined the global initiative "Rise for All" which includes a group of women leaders, launched in support of the UN Secretary-General's call for solidarity and collective action to address the social and economic impacts of the pandemic.

In terms of empowering women from leadership positions, official statistical reports indicate that the representation of Qatari women in decision-making positions amounts to 30 per cent. The Qatar National Vision 2030 and Population Policy 2017-2022 seek to raise this percentage while increasing the political representation of Qatari women.

Communicable Diseases Center (CDC) Medical Director at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) Dr. Muna Al Maslamani highlighted the important role that Qatari women play and their ability to provide qualitative addition within the health cadres working in providing treatment for infected patients. She explained that the CDC constitutes female doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians, and administrators, all of them have contributed to the efforts to tackle the Coronavirus.

In this context, Executive Director of Corporate Infection Prevention and Control at HMC Dr. Jameela Al Ajmi said that over the years, Qatari women have proven their ability to withstand, sacrifice and do all that possible in order to advance their country.

For her part, Chair of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at HMC Dr. Enas Al Kuwari emphasized that the Coronavirus pandemic highlighted the great role played by Qatari women in the health field, pointing out that HMC laboratories include many Qatari women who are physicians and lab specialists and who are working around the clock in efforts to tackle the pandemic through many tests conducted or being conducted by laboratories to detect the virus.

Assistant Executive Director of Nursing at the HMC Dr. Asma Mousa said that over the past years the HMC has attracted many nurses who specialize in the health sector and who have been able to demonstrate their great capabilities in providing compassionate care to all patients.

For their part, Qatari volunteers have contributed greatly to efforts aimed at confronting the Coronavirus pandemic, as they volunteered in order to protect society from the dangers of infection in multiple locations and different tasks. The Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) launched the "Volunteer with us for Qatar" initiative, which was a great success and attracted a large number of young men and women of different ages and experiences.

In Mekaines quarantine facility, which is managed by the QRCS and commissioned by the Ministry of Public Health to receive and care for infected workers, the female volunteers made an active contribution in the aspects that commensurate with the experiences and specialities on which they were trained since joining the QRCS. A team of volunteers who specialize in the field of psychosocial support was formed and they communicate with occupants to raise their morale and provide them with a set of positive ideas and suggestions useful to spend the period of isolation. The team is also concerned with supporting the teams in the Mekaines quarantine facility in order to reduce the pressure of work on them and renew their energies and motivations to continue their efforts with enthusiasm and positivity.

CEO of the Volunteer and Local Development Sector at QRCS Mona Fadel Al Sulaiti said that the QRCS pays great attention to women, both as beneficiaries of development programs and social assistance, or as a primary contributor to the implementation of these programs and aid.

Source: QNA

Image used for representation purposes only.

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Binu Cherian

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