The Department of Geriatrics and Long-Term Care at Hamad Medical Corporation in Doha, Qatar has been appointed as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Healthy Ageing and Dementia in Qatar. Recently, they hosted a 3-day training workshop for integrated care for older people (ICOPE) with delegates from Iraq and clinicians from Qatar in attendance. The goal was to inspire Iraq to implement a similar model to Qatar’s current ICOPE strategy.
Dr. Al Abdulla Al Ansari, Chief Medical Officer of Hamad Medical Corporation, expressed his gratitude for Qatar being chosen as the first pilot site in the Middle East region. He highlighted the collaboration between Dr. Hanadi Al Hamad, a National Lead of ICOPE, and her team in sharing their expertise and training primary care teams. This collaboration aims to deliver evidence-based care to the older population in Qatar and now, in Iraq as well.
Dr. Hanadi Al Hamad, National Health Strategy Lead for Healthy Ageing in Qatar, emphasized the importance of promoting healthy aging in Qatar and the region due to the growing elderly population. The ICOPE Care Model, a community-based approach, aims to provide a person-centered and coordinated model of care to support the functional ability of older people. Qatar’s Department of Geriatrics at HMC has set up the 1st ICOPE Clinic in the Middle East Region, working closely with Primary Care services.
The expertise of Qatar’s ICOPE Clinic, the first and only clinic integrated with electronic medical records in the world, caught the attention of WHO EMRO. They approached the WHO Collaboration Centre in Qatar to provide capacity-building support to Iraq for the implementation of the ICOPE Project in their country. This collaboration highlights the commitment of both Qatar and Iraq to deliver the best care for their elderly population through evidence-based practices.
The workshop in Qatar aimed to build capacity and facilitate learning exchange between Iraqi delegates and Qatari clinicians. By sharing their ICOPE implementation strategy, Qatar hopes to inspire Iraq to adopt a similar model and improve care for older people in their country. Through collaboration and knowledge-sharing, both countries aim to provide the best evidence-based care to their elderly population.
Overall, the WHO Collaboration Centre in Qatar is playing a crucial role in promoting healthy aging and dementia care in the region. By hosting training workshops and sharing expertise with other countries, they are paving the way for improved care for older people across the Middle East. This collaboration highlights the importance of working together to address the needs of the elderly population and ensure they receive the best possible care.
