Qatar Red Crescent (QRC) has continued to implement the first phase of its National Communicable Disease Prevention Campaign (Weqaya), funded and sponsored by the Supreme Council of Health (SCH).

The programme has been extended to cover additional 5,000 expatriate workers.

Over one and a half months, a QRC medical affairs team visited QDVC four times a week to conduct 20 health education lectures for 1,000 of workers and competitions with 250 T-shirts as prizes.

Workers were informed about the importance of applying health and personal hygiene standards, common communicable diseases and how to avoid them, advice about health protection against workplace risks, such as sun strokes and heat exhaustion, and how to administer first aid on colleagues who suffer such emergencies.

The lecture was delivered in various languages to ensure full understanding of the information and guidance, which will reflect positively on workers’ behaviour.

Workers also received 250 hygiene kits, tooth brushes, soap and other personal items and were trained in their use.

Sheikha Athba bint Thamer Al Thani, Chief Support Services Officer, QDVC, said, “We are pleased to participate in the hygiene campaign launched by QRC, a new approach across the spectrum to bring better sanitation and improve the health of our workers.

“This work will help overcome associated taboos to improve the well-being of QDVC workers.

“Participants appreciated the advice and information provided by the QRC team and pledged to utilise the acquired knowledge in their daily life,” she added.

Co-launched in August 2013 by QRC and SCH, the three-year Weqaya aims mainly to improve health and safety of expatriate workers through educational lectures, awareness fliers and personal hygiene kits.

Phase one was a success, with lectures, workshops and awareness courses for 10,000 workers from 40 companies and 21,000 visitors from QRC-run and SCH-funded workers’ health centres.

The campaign distributed 5,000 hygiene kits and providing training to use them in addition to 10,000 brochures and fliers on the most prevalent infections and health problems, such as MERS, Ebola virus, influenza, tuberculosis and heat exhaustion.

Other phases are under way covering topics like psychological health, professional safety, and health education on non-communicable diseases.

The programme is inspired by QRC’s commitment to social development and health promotion in the Qatari society.

With lower disease rates, particularly among workers, there will be less demand for healthcare services and fewer sick leave.

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