The Ministry of Public Health in collaboration with the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office of the World Health Organisation conducted the first workshop on occupational and environmental health for the second group of practitioners and other participants.
The workshop, which started last Sunday, will continue for five days. Experts from the World Health Organisation Regional Office will train the second group consisting of 50 doctors from Hamad Medical Corporation, Primary Health Care Corporation and Qatari Red Crescent as well as several other health workers.
Dr Sheikh Mohamed bin Hamad al-Thani, director, Public Health Department, MoPH, in a speech delivered by Dr Mohamed Ali Mohamed al-Hajjaj, head of the Ministry’s occupational health, welcomed the guests and praised the co-operation with the Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean of the World Health Organisation, which sent five doctors and consultants in occupational health to implement the training programme.  
Dr Sheikh Mohamed explained that the workers in many countries are dealing with hazardous manufacturing materials, indicating the urgent need to lessen these risks. He pointed out there are a number of countries moving to rework health systems based on the principles and values of primary healthcare to deliver services and achieve maximum benefit at a lower cost while ensuring high quality.
Dr al-Hajjaj said that the training is conducted with a large number of workshops and lectures as well as with the support of videos and clinical case studies. The objective is to increase the number of occupational health specialists by training the physicians in primary healthcare. It also aims to develop the concept of maintaining the highest quality standards for health and safety in the workplace.
The workshop also focuses on understanding the role of the doctor in the results management and prevention of occupational diseases and accidents in the environment.