The Shura Council State of Qatar

The Shura Council held its regular weekly meeting via videoconferencing under the chairmanship of HE Speaker Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud, at the Council's headquarters on Monday.

During its session, the Council discussed a draft law on health care services in the country, which included 47 articles and 6 chapters and stipulated the provision of health care services to citizens in government health facilities free of charge.

Under the draft law, the Ministry of Public Health will set standards for the provision of health care services in government and private health facilities as well as compulsory health insurance and supervision. It will also provide an integrated, high-quality, efficient and sustainable health system and work on developing and maintaining compulsory health insurance.

According to the draft law, health insurance is mandatory to ensure the provision of basic health care services to expatriates and visitors to the country. It is also not permissible to issue an entry visa for an expatriate or visitor, renew it, grant or renew a residence permit, and it is not permissible to employ expatriates, except after submitting proof they hold compulsory health insurance for the duration of the stay.

The draft law provides for the provision of health care services to beneficiaries in emergency situations without requiring them to pay any amounts until the danger is overcome even if the service provider is not within the network of health care service providers to the beneficiary, and that this does not prejudice the right of the health care service provider to refer to a company insurance, or the employer or the recruiter, as the case may be, to pay the cost of this service.

The draft law defines the rights and duties of patients that must be observed when receiving health care services and the obligations of the parties to the insurance contract and providers of health care services, as well as the penalties for violators of its provisions.

The Council decided to refer the aforementioned draft law to the Public Services and Utilities Committee for study and to submit a report on it to the Council.

Then the Council continued its session, which was attended by HE President of the Planning and Statistics Authority Dr. Saleh bin Mohammad Al Nabit at an invitation from HE the Speaker to brief the Council on the State's efforts regarding Qatar National Vision 2030 and the challenges it faces.

HE Speaker Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud said that Qatar National Vision 2030 is a road map for the future and constitutes a platform for action by which the State will be enlightened in its development in various fields during the coming decades so that Qatar's citizens and residents benefit from its development.

His Excellency indicated that HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani summarized this vision in an introduction in 2008, in which His Highness said, "Qatar National Vision 2030 builds a bridge between the present and the future. It envisages a vibrant and prosperous country in which there is economic and social justice for all, and in which nature and man are in harmony. We need to galvanize our collective energies and direct them toward these aspirations. Strong Islamic and family values will provide our moral and ethical compass."

His Excellency expressed the Council's appreciation for the role of the Planning and Statistics Authority and before it the General Secretariat for Development Planning in preparing the first and second National Development Strategies and setting the necessary mechanisms to monitor and follow up on them in order to convert the goals of Qatar National Vision into a tangible reality in the country.

He stressed the importance of an effective mechanism to attract qualified national human cadres and create an attractive work environment for them in the field of planning and strategies, the role of the private sector and the role of the Qatari citizen in implementing the strategy, taking into account the specificity of the Qatari society, its heritage and culture.

His Excellency explained that the invitation of HE President of the Planning and Statistics Authority comes to learn about the features of the current strategy and its objectives, especially the short-term goals that enable the people of Qatar to see their results in their daily lives within a short period, and the nature of guarantees that will make the strategy bear fruit in the short, medium and long term. It also comes within the framework of the Council's contribution to the reform and development process that the country is going through and keeping pace with the development plans, foremost of which is Qatar National Vision 2030 in a way that ensures concerted efforts in an integrative work aimed at achieving the vision led by HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.