QATAR Information Sheet

Credentialing Verification Authority: Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners

Communication: Arabic, English

Ongoing Nutrition Activities in Qatar

1. National Dietetic Association None at the moment.

Related organizations Qatar Diabetes Association • Address: Rawdat Al Khail , Al Muntaza, Doha, State of Qatar • Phone Number: (+974) 44547341 • Website: https://qda.org.qa/home/

2. National Nutrition Programmes/Projects • Development of Qatar Dietary Guidelines To download PDF copy: https://www.moph.gov.qa/Admin/Lists/PublicationsAttachments/Attachmen ts/68/MOPH_DIETARY_BOOKLET_ENG.PDF

• Several awareness campaigns, such as:

o World Food Day § Held on October 16 each year § Aim is to emphasize the need of eradicating hunger, and instilling it as a moral and human responsibility of all § To commemorate the day, Qatar Charity distributed 100,000 meals to refugees and poor families in Palestine, Turkey, and Lebanon § At Hamad Medical Corporation, awareness booth was also installed in one of its facilities o World Obesity Day § Held on October 28, 2019 at Hamad General Hospital § Led by Bariatric dietitians of Hamad Medical Corporation § The campaign includes various booths installed presenting food portion sizes, healthy cooking tips and recipes, information on Fad diets, diet pre and post Bariatric surgery, with educational materials distributed, and lecture presentation on Diet and Obesity o World Diabetes Day § Every November 14 each year § Led by Ministry of Public Health, in cooperation with Hamad Medical Corporation, Primary Health Care Corporation, Sidra Medicine and Qatar Diabetes Association § Part of Qatar National Diabetes Strategy 2016-2022 § The campaign includes nutrition, physical activity, and awareness by conducting questionnaires, counselling patients, conducting workshops, and launching of its website

3. Organizations working on Health & Nutrition a. National Organizations (Government) Ministry of Public Health, Health Hamad Medical Corporation Promotion and Non- • Address: PO Box 3050, Doha City, communicable Diseases Qatar • Address: PO Box 42, Doha • Phone Number: (+974) 4439 5777 City, Qatar • Website: • Phone Number: (+974) https://www.hamad.qa/EN/Pages/de 44070000 fault.aspx • Website: https://www.moph.gov.qa/en glish/Pages/default.aspx

Primary Health Care Corporation Qatar Foundation • Address: PO Box 26555, • Address: PO Box 5825, Doha City, Doha City, Qatar Qatar • Phone Number: (+974) 4406 • Phone Number: (+974) 44540000 9917 • Website: https://www.qf.org.qa/ • Website: https://www.phcc.qa/portal_n ew/index/index.php?limit=ho me

3b. International Organisations The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) • Website: http://www.fao.org/home/en/ • A specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger • For information specific on Qatar, kindly visit: http://www.fao.org/countryprofiles/index/en/?iso3=QAT • Country leaflet may also be downloaded in PDF format: http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/d6808ee3-81fb-451d-8391- f95fa8622a04 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (Academy) • Website: https://www.eatright.org/ • Thru International Affiliate of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (IAAND), dietetics professionals of Qatar can now be part of a global community aiming for optimal health for everyone via food and nutrition • IAAND website: https://eatrightinternational.org/ • Country Representative of Qatar may be contacted via email: CR- [email protected] American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) • Website: https://www.nutritioncare.org/ • An organization which provides fellow healthcare providers or clinicians with information on nutrition support • Membership information: https://netforum.avectra.com/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?Site=aspen&Web Code=Membership European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) • Website: https://www.espen.org/ • An organization in the field of parenteral and enteral nutrition consisting of various healthcare providers, including dietitians • Membership information: https://www.espen.org/join-espen-as-a- member/join-espen

3c. Educational Institutes (Nutrition Education & Research)

Qatar University Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar • Website: http://www.qu.edu.qa/ • Website: https://qatar- • Address: P.O. Box: 2713 – Doha weill.cornell.edu/ • Phone Number: (+974) 4403- • Address: P.O. Box 24144, Doha, 3333 Qatar • Course/s offered related to • Phone Number: (+974) 4492- Dietetics and Nutrition: 8000 https://www.qu.edu.qa/chs/huma • Course/s offered related to n-nutrition/undergraduate- Dietetics and Nutrition: program Certificate in Clinical Nutrition (previously offered) - http://qatar- weill.cornell.edu/event/ccn

Hamad Medical Corporation Sidra Medical and Research Centre • Website: • Website: https://www.sidra.org/ https://www.hamad.qa/EN/Page • Address: Al Gharrafa Street, Ar- s/default.aspx Rayyan, Doha, Qatar • Address: PO Box 3050, Doha • Phone Number: (+974) 4003 City, Qatar 3333 • Phone Number: (+974) 4439 • For information on Education 5777 and Research: • For information on Education and Research: - https://www.sidra.org/educati https://www.hamad.qa/EN/Educ on/ ation-and- - https://www.sidra.org/researc research/Pages/default.aspx h/

3d. Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO's) Agriculture: Hunger: • Jassim and Hamad bin Jassim • Reach Out To Asia Charitable Foundation - Website: - Website: https://www.reachouttoasia.o https://www.andrew.cmu.edu/ rg/en user/dkurup/hbjfoundation/ - Phone Number: (+974) 4454 - Phone Number: (+974) 1603 44352928 • Qatar Charity Society • Friends of the Environment - Website: Center https://www.qcharity.org/en/g - Website: lobal https://arab.org/directory/frien - Phone Number: (+974) ds-of-the-environment-center/ 44667711 - Phone Number: (+974) 44874725

4. Assessment of Training Quality of National Dietitians, their Professional Role and Prestige

• Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners (QCHP) o An independent committee responsible for regulating all healthcare practitioners in the state of Qatar • Primary Source Verification (PSV) o To ensure safety of the public against fraudulent practices, healthcare practitioners applying for licensure in Qatar need to subject their related credentials to a verification procedure o “Dataflow” and “Gulf Bridge Services” are the accredited service providers for this process • Continuing Professional Development (CPD) o To maintain licensure, the healthcare professional must fulfill CPD unit requirements in the form of seminar/lecture/webinar attendance, speakership, among others

QCHP website: https://www.qchp.org.qa/en/Pages/Home.aspx

5. Brief Description of National Healthcare System and Private Practice

• Qatar’s healthcare system has been lauded as one of the world’s best • Public healthcare is accessible to all citizens and residents of the country, including expatriates. One just needs to apply for a health card. • Ministry of Public Heath oversees healthcare in Qatar, which its services is provided by: o Primary Healthcare Corporation (PHCC) – runs 27 regional centers/clinics nationwide o Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) – consists of 12 public hospitals, community clinics, and the national ambulance service • Tourists and temporary visitors, or those without a health card may opt for a private health insurance, private healthcare/private hospital, or cash/credit payment

6. Employment Opportunities Profile

• Hospitals o As clinical dietitian for inpatients or outpatients, dietetic coordinators (hospital food service), assistant dietitians o Potential workplace: Hamad Medical Corporation Hospitals, Sidra Medicine, other private hospitals • Health care centers/ Clinics o May work in a public health care center or as private practice o Potential workplace: Primary Health Care Centers, other private clinics • Wellness/ Diet Centers/ Health Spa o May work not only as a nutrition counselor but oversees and develops menu as part of weight loss or nutritional management of disease (for food delivery services) • Public Health o May work as part of the Ministry or NGOs o Potential workplace: Ministry of Public Health, Qatar Foundation, Qatar Diabetes Association • Sports o As dietitian in sports institutions like ASPIRE, ASPETAR, and other sports clubs • Academia and Research o As instructor or as part of a research team o Potential workplace: Hamad Medical Corporation, Sidra Medical and Research Center, Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Qatar University

7. Obtaining Work Permits

To obtain a work permit, aspiring practitioner must have the following:

Before deployment:

• A work sponsor • A counterpart work agency in the home country to help process some legal documents • Related credentials verified by QCHP • If all are fulfilled, a single-entry visa (valid for 3 months) to Qatar will be issued for the practitioner

Upon arriving at Qatar:

• Qatar Police Clearance • Further credential verification by QCHP • Medical evaluation • All must be fulfilled before the 3-month validity of visa expires, then a Residence Permit and License will be given to the practitioner, securing the stay and work in the country

8. Local Food Customs and Culture

• Traditional Arabic coffee (roasted coffee beans with cardamom) and sweet dates are usually offered to guests as a sign of welcome and hospitality • Aside from Arabic coffee, staple hot beverages include karak (tea with milk), and tea with mint or saffron • Usual source of carbohydrates are rice (usually in the form of mixed or seasoned rice and meat) and flatbread (known as kubus) • Meals are typically heavy in spices and meat • Some of the well-known dishes are: o Machboos § Seasoned rice with meat § Usually served with yoghurt o Saloona § Spicy meat and/or vegetable stew § Usually eaten with rice o Ghuzi § Whole roasted lamb on a bed of rice and nuts o Harees § Boiled, cracked, or coarsely ground wheat mixed with meat mixed with various spices § One of the well-known Ramadan dishes • Typical appetizers include: o Hummus § Cooked and mashed chickpeas § Usually mixed with lemon juice and olive oil o Motabel § A dip made of eggplant and a sesame seed paste called tahini o Tabbouleh § A vegetable salad with chopped parsley as base • Some of the desserts enjoyed are: o Mehalabiya § Milk pudding with rose water o Umm ali § Bread pudding made with milk and cream, coconut chips, sugar, almonds, and raisins o Luqaimat § A sweet served during Ramadan § A dough spiced with cardamom and saffron, cut into balls, deep- fried then submerged in a sugary syrup • Katara and Souq Waqif is the place to go to for tourists who want to experience traditional Qatari food. • As Ramadan is observed in Qatar, an act of fasting is observed during this holy month o Suhoor § The meal before the fast, just before sunrise o Iftar § The meal after the fast, after the sunset § Dates and juices are typically eaten first to break the fast, before heading to the evening prayer § Afterwards, a heavy meal is consumed with family and friends o Eating and drinking publicly during the time of fasting is considered highly offensive

9. CE Opportunities

Locally • Weekly Education Sessions (Internal dietetic staffs – as lecturer or attendee) • Private company-sponsored presentations • Seminars/ Awareness programs (as speaker or participant) • CPE opportunities accredited by Commission on Dietetic Registration

CPE opportunities are provided through IAAND professional development activities such as IAAND conferences and webinars, through the Academy distance learning programs, the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the Academy Foundation resources.

10. IAAND Volunteer Opportunities

Opportunities to assist IAAND with your time are probably endless. Learn as much as you can about IAAND and where your skills and interest would be of most benefit both to you and to IAAND. You could: § Assist IAAND in spreading awareness about nutrition and dietetics globally and advocating for nutrition issues in your local communities. § Support IAAND’s growth by recruiting new members and assisting fund- raising team. § Be a member on the IAAND leadership team § Assist in organizing conferences § Submit articles to the IAAND newsletter § Be a Kids Eat Right International volunteer.

For further information please contact the Country Rep for Qatar: [email protected]

Written by: Karla Padrelanan (2020)