Doha, 25 September 2021: Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Tobacco Control Center has been redesignated by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a collaborating center for treating tobacco dependence for four years (until August 2025). This re-designation has uniquely placed the State of Qatar and Hamad Medical Corporation on the map of WHO Collaborating Centers in regard to tobacco dependence treatment within the EMRO region knowing that currently it is the only of its kind in both regions.
On ths occasion, the staff membersof the Tobacco Control Center expressed their appreciation and gratitude to Her Excellency Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, Minister of Public Health, for her continued support to the Center and its various programs and projects as well as to HMC’s Media Department for its important role in spreading awareness messages of the Tobacco Control Center and highlighting its activities and achievements. The Center also thanked Dr. Fatima El-Awa, WHO Regional Tobacco Free Initiative Adviser, and her team in the WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean for their continued support and efforts in implementing the approved action plan on tobacco control.
HMC’s Tobacco Control Center has pledged to continue its efforts and to remain committed to fighting against tobacco use through the delivery of treatment and counseling services for smokers, as well as the delivery of community awareness activities and research projects, which will place Qatar among the leading countries in the world in this field. The Center will also continue to provide training to healthcare professionals across Qatar and the Eastern Mediterranean region to improve their skills and competencies in this field. This will help in the delivery of high-quality tobacco cessation services, which in turn will help reduce the number of smokers and the incidence of tobacco related diseases and its financial burdens.
The redesignation of HMC’s Tobacco Control Center as a collaborating center for treating tobacco dependence has been a result of the efforts of all staff members of the center who offered their full support to deliver various activities across Qatar and the region. They have also continued and even doubled their efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure the continuity of care. The management of HMC’s Tobacco Control Center thanked all staff members for their hard work and important role in the redesignation process.
WHO Collaborating Centers include research institutes, universities, and academies and are designated to carry out activities in support of the WHOs mandated international health agenda. The designation as a WHO collaborating center for treating tobacco dependence will mean that HMC’s tobacco Control Center is committed to implement a series of activities to promote smoking cessation and raise awareness on the negative impacts of tobacco use across Qatar, the region, and the globe. This commitment also includes the delivery of training activities for healthcare professionals in the field of smoking cessation and tobacco dependence treatment to reduce the rates of tobacco use and support the WHO international health agenda.
