Health Ministry hosts webinar to celebrate World Day for Health & Safety at Work

As part of its National Health Strategy 2018-2022 and “Healthy and Safe Employees” priority population, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) hosted a webinar recently to celebrate World Day for Health and Safety at Work.

The theme of the webinar was ‘Forecast, prepare and respond to crises-Invest Now in resilient Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Systems’. The event was focussed in sharing insights about the health and safety of workers in Qatar during the epidemic.

During the outset of the seminar, Dr. Asma Al Nuaimi, the Lead for NHS priority population “Health and Safety Workers”, highlighted the vitality of discussing aspects of occupational safety and health during the Covid-19 pandemic, mentioning that the healthy and safe employees is a significant basis for making sure that the community productivity and economic development.

Dr Asma said: “We should ensure that we are providing workers with the services they need to maintain their physical and mental health and wellbeing during this difficult time.”

Dr. Al Nuaimi took the audience through two other vital topics which are Primary Health Corporation’s (PHCC) clinical research on COVID-19 incidence at workplaces in Qatar and the initiative related to the implementation of a centralized Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Database within the National Health Strategy’s priority population ‘Health and Safety Workers’.

Dr. Asma further added that, “Ensuring Occupational Safety and Health in every workplace during an emergency crisis is high priority for the State of Qatar. I believe, there is a need for more accurate and robust data collection, and data sharing for OSH that can help health policymakers develop public health response during emergency crises. We have to continue to work together for Occupational Safety and Health to contribute to the wellbeing of workers in Qatar.”

Dr. Mohamed Al Hajjaj, Head of Occupational Unit at the MoPH told the audience on the significant achievements of MoPH during the outbreak in the OSH field. Dr Mariam Al Muslemani, PHCC’s OSH Director shared a presentation to the audience on the role of an OSH Department in healthcare facility settings.

Dr. Soha Al Bayat, Head of Vaccination at the MoPH briefed on the National Contact Tracing Strategy and its role in managing the crisis in the country. Dr Mohamed Noor, MoPH Public Health Specialist, stressed on the issues about the COVID-19 pandemic management and how they are dealing in the industrial area in Qatar.

Jaber Al Marri, Occupational Health Specialist at the Ministry of Administrative Development Labour and Social Affairs spoke about the health and safety measures adopted by the Ministry to control the spread of the virus through employers and workers in Qatar.

Dr. Yuka Ujita from the International Labor Organization (ILO) gave an intriguing insight on the vitality of OSH management system to promote health and safety of all employees.

This year, the celebration of World Occupational Safety and Health Day was aimed at systems’ approach to workplace accident prevention and occupational safety and health management through the use of a logical and effective method to promote permanent improvement in occupational health and safety performance.

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