Doha: Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Psychiatry Department hosted the first Annual Symposium of Community Mental Health Services in Qatar that brought together experts from the region and stakeholders in Qatar’s mental health community.
Staff from HMC, Primary Health Care Corporation, patients their families and caregivers, social service workers and other community-based organisations attended.
Dr Mohamed Ali Siddig Ahmed, Director, Community Mental Health Services, HMC, said: “As the main provider of specialist mental healthcare in Qatar, HMC is a key stakeholder in the National Mental Health Strategy and responsible for the delivery of services to contribute to its overall success.
“One goal is to facilitate a shift in the model of care used to treat mental illness from exclusively hospital-based care to care provided in various settings according to the needs of individual patients. This includes community-based care, which for many patients is more conducive to well-being, recovery and rehabilitation.”
He said the symposium highlighted the importance of partnerships among organisations and individual stakeholders in successful implementation of services that will allow people with mental health difficulties to receive care and support they need while living in the community instead of in an institutional setting.
“HMC recognises that mental healthcare and support is provided by groups and services in the community alongside, before or after, specialist care HMC provides. We are committed to bringing together these stakeholders to work collaboratively towards our shared goal of improving public understanding, services and support mechanisms for a more comprehensive national system that offers people with mental illnesses everything they need to get well and maintain the best possible quality of life,” he added.
Mental illness can affect how a person feels, acts, thinks or perceives.
It can occur due to many reasons and can affect anyone regardless of social circumstances, age or gender. Like physical illness, mental illness can be treated.
HMC encourages people concerned that they may have a mental illness to seek professional help, putting emphasis on early diagnosis and support as key to successful treatment as is the case with many health conditions.
Presentations and discussions highlighted community services HMC and other organisations are offering and their joint vision for the future.
The event allowed participants to learn from experiences of other stakeholders and experts and from perspectives of patients, their families and caregivers as active partners — not only in their healthcare but also in delivering the overall strategy for mental health services.
“The symposium is a way of keeping this connection strong and all parties updated as we move forward,” Dr Ahmed added.
The Peninsula
