Qatar Health System

Qatar Healthcare System

Marwan Nussairat

Park University

Healthcare Economics

HA604

Jeff Ehrlich

February 24, 2012

Qatar Healthcare System

1.0 General Information

Qatar is a small country located between Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf. It has an area of 11,437 sq km, which is roughly the size of Connecticut. Qatar is a relatively flat country with highest point reaching just over 300 feet. The majority of the land is barren desert.  The country has an arid climate with mild winters and very hot, humid summers. Since most of the land is desert, Qatar suffers from the lack of arable land.  There are limited sources of fresh water, so Qatar is increasingly dependant on desalination facilities. The dry land leads to an increased likelihood of dust and sandstorms. The population if Qatar is 1.7m (Qatar Statistics Authority January 2012). The majority is of Arab descent, but there are also small numbers of Indians, Pakistanis and Persians (from Iran).  Those who are not of Arab descent are typically foreign workers.  Arabic is the official language of Qatar; however, English is also used frequently, especially in schools and in businesses. Qatar has a free education system.  Children have the opportunity to attend Kindergarten through high school free of charge.  In addition to the public school system, there are also private schools that parents can choose to send their children to.   In recent years, the Supreme Education has attempted to improve and reform the system through the “Education for a New Era” campaign. There are two public universities in Qatar University of Qatar and CHN University Doha.  Many American universities have set up satellite campuses in Qatar.  The rise of satellite campuses has happened in the last 10 years and is becoming a popular choice among Qatari students.

In addition to a free education system, Qatar also has a free healthcare system.  The first hospital opened in 1957 and they have major improvements to...