WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean Delegation Visits HMC Tobacco Control Center

Last week a delegation from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office toured Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Tobacco Control Center, which was officially inaugurated earlier this year.

In 2017, HMC’s Tobacco Control Center was designated as a WHO Collaborating Centre, the first in Qatar and the region. WHO Collaborating Centres, which also include research institutes and parts of universities and academies, are designated to carry out activities in support of the WHO’s mandated international health work. 

Dr. Ahmad Al Mulla, Head of the HMC Tobacco Control Center and representatives from the Ministry of Public Health met with members of the WHO delegation and discussed the importance of providing accessible treatment options for people who want to stop smoking. Members of the WHO delegation acknowledged the importance of the services offered by HMC’s Tobacco Control Center and congratulated the smoking cessation team on the success of the Center’s programs.

The group discussed current regional, national, and international tobacco control activities as well as future initiatives, including a planned regional Train-the-Trainer workshop for healthcare professionals that will provide physicians, nurses, and other allied healthcare workers with information about smoking cessation and tobacco control. The importance of cooperation and collaboration across the health sector was also discussed.

Dr. Al Mulla thanked the delegation for their visit, noting the significance of the relationship between HMC’s Tobacco Control Center and the WHO. He said the international tobacco control community must work together to ensure individual countries have the knowledge, tools, data, and people needed to develop and implement sustained tobacco control programs.