Making Supply Meet Demand: Qatar’s healthcare services

Alvin Tam and Christopher Tang

Being too wealthy can be a problem.  As the wealthiest nation with GDP  per capita at US$102,000, Qatar has been named as one of the fattest nations on earth with 33% adults obese and 17% of the population suffering from diabetes.   As many native Qataris now live in air conditioned villas being waited on by armies of servants, they spend most of the time eating rather than exercising (see figure below).   

Countries	Current Smoking	Insufficient Physical Activitya	Overweight (BMI > 25)	Obesity (BMI >30)
Bahrain	18.8	NA	70.3	32.6
Kuwait	17	64.5	79.3	42.8
Oman	3.4	NA	57.5	22
Qatar	14.7	45.9	72.1	33.1
Saudi Arabia	6	68.8	71.3	35.2
United Arab Emirates	7.2	62.5	72	NA

Source: Arabs Live Longer, Battle Obesity, Diabetes, and Heart Disease. (2014). http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/819473#2

In fact, even 6% of preschool-age children are obese and need medical care.  In some cases, children have even gone under the knife for bariatric surgery.  While weight-loss surgery for young children is controversal, it is becoming more common.  Since the culture and lifestyle in Qatar does not promote phyical activity and healthy diets, the demand for heathcare services is increasing rapidly.  Currently, Qatar provides free medical and healthcare facilities to nationals and subsidized services to expatriates, who make up more than 85% of the country’s population. However, partly because of insufficient investments in the healthcare sector in the past (1.9% of GDP in 2011), demand exceeds supply at an alarming rate.   Currently, one of the major challenges with the current healthcare system is the long waiting lists at public hospitals where nationals get priority, and overcrowding at primary health centers, which are mostly visited by expatriates.

In 2008, the Qatar government developed a long term vision that is known as “the Qatar National Vision 2030.”  One of the goals of this plan is to improve the health of the entire Qatari population by to providing a world-class system that is accessible to the entire population, including Nationals and Expatriates.  To do so, the Supreme Council of Health (SCH) has taken small steps to improve its infrastructure and has increased its hospital beds in both the public and private sector.  Specifically, SCH has increased the total number of hospital beds from 2,024 to 2,803 from 2006 to 2012. However, with the continued growth in its population, plans are underway for 31 further facilities that include hospitals and new primary health centers to be built between 2013 and 2021. Its goal is to achieve a greater consistency of geographical coverage across the country. Qatar also plans to provide a much broader range of healthcare services in outpatient centers and greater specialization in areas such as oncology, geriatric surgery, and cardiology.

 

While the government of Qatar has taken appropriate measures to develop a sustainable healthcare system by increasing facilities and providers, it remains a challenge to deliver new hospitals and expand existing facilities to meet the growing demand. With an average population growth rate of 5%, Qatar and its new facilities must be able to take the growing population into consideration, while trying to expand its already limited facilities. Furthermore, many of Qatar’s hospital staff has minimal management experience. Most private hospitals are family owned and operated by physicians. With limited business experience, hospital management must adapt and learn quickly to develop a truly sustainable healthcare infrastructure.  

Building hospitals and increasing healthcare facilities is one way to solve the supply problem in Qatar, but the underlying issue has to do with preventive health, similar to many countries across the globe. With its sedentary lifestyle, Qatar and its citizens must start to adjust their culture and lifestyles in order to truly transform its overall health outlook.  It may be helpful for the government to construct indoor air-conditioned sport facilities to encourage its citizens to do exercise, especially when the outdoor temperature is over 120 degrees.  Tennis, anyone?