Qatar emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic in robust shape, delivering a vaccine programme that had, as of May 2024, administered 7.6m doses and protected the vast majority of the population. Moreover, shortly after the pandemic, the successful organisation of the 2022 FIFA World Cup markedly improved the country’s global reputation for health care service delivery. The state deployed medical services across 100 FIFA World Cup competition and non-competition sites, with 113 clinics, 114 ambulances, 212 mobile medical units and approximately 2275 staff providing support.
Arguably of greater significance, 1.2m individuals travelled to Qatar for the tournament, subsequently sharing favourable experiences upon their return. These narratives are poised to bolster Qatar’s position as it competes with other GCC nations in attracting health care investment and medical tourism.
Insurance
Important changes are being witnessed in health insurance, with most policies held by expatriate residents, who make up 88% of Qatar’s roughly 3m-strong population. In 2022 an announcement was made that will require employers to obtain basic health insurance from an approved Qatari insurer for all expatriate employees, including their eligible dependent family members. Although the law has not yet been implemented, it intends to galvanise the domestic health care industry, making the insurance market more competitive and attracting more foreign investment. On the latter point, coverage can only be obtained via a Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) portal of approved insurers, which remains somewhat limited. Non-compliance is punishable by the revocation of the employer’s ability to obtain new work permits or extend existing ones or by a fine of up to QR30,000 ($8234) if the employer passes the insurance cost on to its workers.
In addition, foreign nationals visiting Qatar – whether single or multi-entry visa holders – must now have proof of health insurance covering the duration of their stay. The premium for the Mandatory Visitors’ Health Insurance policy is QR50 ($14) per month, with top-up premiums varying by provider. There are several exemptions, including for temporary residence permit holders, visa-on-arrival visitors travelling for a period of up to 30 days and transit passengers.
Qatar’s government-funded health system covers most costs, ensuring low patient out-of-pocket expenses and providing comprehensive services, including treatment, diagnostics, preventive care, and emergency services through public institutions, in line with Universal Health Coverage principles.
Another important regulatory change is the anticipated introduction of a value-added tax (VAT) in July 2024, with the standard rate expected at 5%. Education and health care services are expected to both be exempt from VAT, but the new tax is still likely to cover sales of components and supplies that are essential in health care service delivery.
Structure & Oversight
The MoPH is the governmental body responsible for overseeing health policy. It has been headed up by Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari since her appointment in 2016. The five key offices that direct the development of Qatar’s health sector include the Minister’s Office, Undersecretary Office, Health Affairs department, Policy Affairs department and Shared Services Affairs Unit.
Health care services in Qatar are delivered to citizens and residents via a blend of public and private entities, with Qataris receiving free or highly subsidised care. The country’s citizens and residents have the convenience of accessing public services through a health card, which includes their ID number, nationality, photograph and date of issue. This card can be obtained either digitally or in person, ensuring easy accessibility to essential services. All arrivals wishing to work and live in Qatar are required by law to undergo a health screening at the Medical Commission Department to be eligible to receive a work residence permit.
The Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), independent since 2012, serves as the frontline health care body and public primary health care provider. In 2023 it managed 31 health and wellness centres and treated 1.8m registered patients, up from 1.4m in 2019. The government also continues to roll out new PHCC facilities, with the new 35,000-patient capacity Al Sadd Health Centre opening in March 2023.
Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), which was established in 1979, is Qatar’s main not-for-profit health care provider. HMC manages specialist hospitals and community hospitals, as well as the National Ambulance Service and home and residential care services, employing over 30,000 people. Over the course of the decade leading up to 2022 the number of outpatients receiving treatment at HMC climbed, more than doubling to reach an annual figure of 3.3m. Moreover, surgical treatments witnessed a significant increase of 30% since 2017. These services are delivered across a network of 15 hospitals. Parastatal providers, which serve the state indirectly, include the Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, and Sidra Medicine, a provider of tertiary health care services for women and children.
On the private side, 10 hospitals are complemented by various private clinics that can refer people to HMC facilities and pharmacies. As of 2019 there were some 194 private clinics and 301 private health care centres, 470 pharmacies, 259 diagnostic centres and 28 longterm care facilities in the country. The main private hospitals are Al Ahli Hospital, Doha Clinic Hospital, Al Emadi Hospital and the American Hospital. These providers play a central role in serving expatriates insured under the mandatory private health insurance coverage scheme. In addition, the Qatar Red Crescent Society aid organisation operates four centres.
Policy
Health is a pillar of Qatar National Vision 2030, (QNV) under a National Health Strategy (NHS) aiming to create a world-class, patient-centred health care system. The plan seeks to foster universal access, promote research and development opportunities and complete the sector’s digital transformation.
According to Sheikh Dr Mohamed bin Hamad Al Thani, director of the Public Health Department at the MoPH, 90% of the NHS’ second-phase (2018-22) goals had been achieved as of early 2024. NHS-2 listed seven priority groups – including children, mothers, the elderly and people with special needs – and the strategy achieved success in making all but 1% of targeted medical treatments available in the country. Still, in 2023 some 53,000 Qataris applied to receive medical treatment abroad – more than came inbound for medical tourism, despite the sector being highlighted for development under QNV.
The NHS also implemented a national death registry, complemented by comprehensive training initiatives, to track progress in reducing deaths from non-communicable disease (NCD) by 15% by 2022. This initiative has led to the development of a national diabetes registry, NCD awareness campaigns, screening efforts and numerous patient empowerment programmes.
Since the NHS’ inception, the number of private and public hospital beds available has doubled, capped by the February 2024 inauguration of the Military Medical City Hospital in Al Rayyan. The new complex caters to armed forces and security personnel across 10 operating rooms, 36 intensive care rooms, 400 patient rooms, a rehabilitation centre and a landing pad for ambulance helicopters.
The third iteration of the NHS is expected to be unveiled in late 2024. The new strategy is likely to focus on areas like enhancing NCD prevention, fostering greater integration between health and social care services – especially for mental health and people with disabilities – and addressing imbalances in specific medical specialisations. Health services is a so-called “resilience cluster” under the Third National Development Strategy (NDS-3) 2024–30, which aims to increase private sector participation, develop medical tourism, and augment precision medicine and other long-term specialism capabilities.
Budget & Public Spending
The Investment Promotion Agency estimates that government health expenditure will grow steadily at 5% year-on-year (y-o-y) until 2025. Qatar has the highest health care expenditure per capita in the GCC, at $1827. Private health care expenditure is forecast to grow at 9.6% y-o-y in the same period. In 2022 health and social work activities contributed QR13.4bn ($3.7bn) to the economy, accounting for 1.6% of the country’s GDP.
Meanwhile, a February 2024 report published by Fitch Solutions’ research firm BMI projects domestic health care spending to rise at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.2% over five years, reaching $11bn in 2028. While public spending remains substantial, the government’s push for privatisation is expected to lead to private expenditure exceeding public spending. This trend is likely to persist as the government aims to gradually reduce health care sector expenses borne by the state in the medium term.
Qatar’s government views health care as key to its prosperity and is allocating funds accordingly. Both the 2023 fiscal outlay of QR21.1bn ($5.8bn) and the 2024 budget of QR22.1bn ($6.1bn) represent 11% of public expenditure. Included in this spending is a focus on enhancing secondary and tertiary care infrastructure, along with the construction of several new hospitals.
Developments will revolve around HMC’s Medical City in Doha, serving as the centre for essential departments like human resources, quality management, security and training. Additionally, it houses key facilities like the Women’s Wellness and Research Center and Hamad General Hospital. The National Center for Cancer Care and Research will also receive dedicated funds for improvements and a new psychiatric hospital specialising in mental health is slated for construction.
While much has been made of the opportunities available for public-private partnerships (PPPs) in the country’s health care sector, uptake since the introduction of a new PPP law in 2020 has been limited, with the pandemic dulling the initial impact of the regulatory shift. That said, concrete PPP health care projects are beginning to emerge. In 2023 Alpen Capital reported that Qatar intends to invest QR337m ($92.5m) in a PPP project to increase private sector participation in the design, construction, operation and maintenance of two primary health centres in Madinat Khalifa and Umm Ghuwailina.
Digital Services
Digitalising health care is proceeding apace as part of the national drive to improve efficiency and patient outcomes, and offers opportunities for software solutions and information technology providers. One of the NHS’ seven overarching objectives is to provide a fully integrated health care system. That goal should come closer in 2024 under government plans to link health records of patients registered at government and private hospitals, thus avoiding the repetition of medical tests and screening.
As of 2023 some 96% of health care facilities in the country had adopted electronic health records, with the Qatar National Health Information System serving as the backbone of the digital health infrastructure. In 2022 US-based Oracle Cerner provided HMC and the PHCC’s clinical information management systems.
Moreover, 60% of healthcare providers offer telemedicine services, including virtual video call consultations by HMC and remote patient monitoring via wearable devices and mobile apps. The MoPH and Qatari healthcare institutions are exploring ongoing applications of artificial intelligence and blockchain.
Previously, the MoPH had an app for locating health care facilities and tracking immunisations. However, it is currently undergoing a redesign and unavailable. According to Hukoomi, Qatar’s e-government portal, 74 of MoPH’s 131 services are available online, with HMC providing 23 services at 93% digital coverage.
The PHCC has 100% e-portal access for its nine services. Since 2021 it has offered a number of e-services via its Nar’aakom app, available in English and Arabic and accessible to users holding an account with the National Authentication System, which is used to verify the identity of e-government service users. Its services include registering for a health card, managing appointments and obtaining medical report results. Qatar is expected to thrive in the medical technology arena in the coming years, with the market projected to grow at a CAGR of 6% from 2021-26.
General Healtrh Indicators
Qatar ranked 38th out of 167 countries in the 2023 Legatum Prosperity Index, one place higher than in 2022 and behind the UAE in MENA. Moreover, in 2023 Qatar was home to five hospitals ranking among the top-250 academic medical centres worldwide, with two in the top 100.
As of 2021, Qatar’s life expectancy was 80.3 years, with the state also having one of the world’s lowest mortality rates during the pandemic at 690 recorded deaths. Male age-standardised mortality rates were 502.7 and 242.3 per 100,000 individuals, respectively, for Qataris and non-Qataris, according to a 2023 study. The rates in female populations were less widely spaced, at 315.6 and 291.5, respectively.
The infant mortality rate in 2023 was 5.5 deaths per 1000 live births, representing a 2.7% drop from 2022. The aim is to cut this to two deaths per 1000 births by 2030. As in many developed countries, Qatar’s fertility rate has steadily declined over the last 50 years, settling at 1.8 births per woman in 2021.
Disease Burden
As in other populations, NCDs are Qatar’s leading cause of death, contributing to 68% of all fatalities. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of NCD deaths, accounting for approximately 27% of all deaths in the country. This is followed by cancer, other NCDs (16% each) and diabetes (9%). In 2021 the CVD mortality rate stood at 85.8 per 100,000. As of that year, the cancer death rate was 34.3 deaths per 100,000, while the chronic respiratory disease death rate was 20.7 per 100,000.
NDS-3 aims to address some of the underlying causes of NCDs by tackling adult obesity, smoking prevalence and sports participation issues. Regarding the former, 46.1% of women and 35.9% of men above 18 are classified as obese, according to a 2023 Global Nutrition Report. This rate significantly exceeds regional averages, where the median stands at 10.3% for women and 7.5% for men. Furthermore, nearly 46% of school-aged children are overweight or obese.
The government is responding with health awareness campaigns and has made physical education a compulsory part of the curriculum. Regulations on marketing unhealthy food to children have also been tightened, and health care institutions now offer a range of obesity support services.
Smoking prevalence is relatively high compared with other high-income countries. A 2021 study found one-quarter of adults were tobacco users (36.6% of males and 9.2% of females), despite Qatar banning smoking indoors, fully implementing advertising bans and taxing tobacco products at 100% since 2019.
Meanwhile, the Qatar Cancer Plan 2023-26 aims to build on Qatar’s emergence as the first country in the world where suspected cancer patients receive secondary medical care from a specialist within 48 hours, a diagnosis within two weeks and treatment delivery within two more weeks. The plan covers 23 strategic goals and 87 deliverables across comprehensive cancer care services.
Medical Staff & Training
As of January 2024 Qatar employed roughly 40,000 government health care workers and 20,000 staff in private hospitals. In 2023 the PHCC recorded 4799 registered clinicians, while the country had 8365 licensed physicians in 2021, resulting in 329 doctors per person, down from 366 in 2019. Nurse-to-patient ratios were 116 patients per nurse in 2021 compared to 123 in 2019, as per the Planning and Statistics Authority. Additionally, Qatar had over 2000 dentists and 3000 pharmacists.
Training is provided through various institutions, including the Hamad Healthcare Quality Institute. In collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), it initiated the National Training Programme for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety in early 2024. The MoPH is also engaged in developing a national medication safety programme aligned with World Health Organisation guidelines. The objective is to decrease risks and mitigate harm associated with unsafe medication practices and errors by 50%.
Pharmaceuticals
The pharmaceutical market is expected to reach QR7.5bn ($2.1bn) by 2025, a 70% increase from 2020. This growth is fuelled by robust intellectual property protections, effective drug market regulation and streamlined drug delivery logistics.
Qatar has several leading health care research institutions, including the College of Pharmacy at Qatar University, which was the first pharmacy programme outside Canada to be accredited by the Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs. Meanwhile, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar’s Biomedical Research Training Programme equips graduates with the skills for careers in biomedical research.
Qatar Foundation operates the Qatar Precision Health Institute and hosts the Qatar Biobank volunteer initiative to help researchers better understand disease. Sidra Medicine and the Qatar Research Development and Innovation Council are further potential loci of pharmaceutical investment.
Indeed, Invest Qatar has released a pharmaceuticals brief that highlights the remarkable surge seen in global biopharma deals and anticipates a parallel expansion in the domestic drug treatment market. The Middle East is depicted as an attractive prospect due to its burgeoning middle class, increasing demand for generics and a projected market for personalised medicine that is projected to reach $796.8bn ($218.7bn) by 2028, with a 6.2% CAGR.
Qatar leads the Gulf region in the emerging field of genomics research, using whole genome sequencing, along with other omics data to drive clinical precision medicine practices. The Qatar Genome Project, a population-based research endeavour, examines the genetic profiles of Qataris and other Arab populations, generating genomic databases for researchers. The goal is to integrate precision medicine and personalised health care into the national health care system.
Outlook
Health care is a major pillar of the QNV plan to transition away from fossil fuels, and benefits from sustained public investment to reach this goal. In addition, dedicated spending over 10% of the national budget will likely spur participation opportunities for foreign investors in infrastructure development and IT solutions. Moreover, the evolution of the mandatory health insurance programme should funnel patients and funding towards private institutions, which are set to benefit from investment that will outpace that directed towards public health care provision.
Additional measures may be beneficial to guide the development of medical tourism. Addressing factors such as the need for a clearer regulatory framework, well-defined implementation strategy, strengthened infrastructural capacity and more robust marketing efforts to enhance competitiveness could contribute to Qatar’s progress. These considerations are poised to be integral in shaping the forthcoming NHS-3 plan.
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