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Ailyn Agonia
Doha
SPANISH Ambassador to Qatar HE Ignacio Escobar underscored the interest of Spain in contributing to the self-sufficiency initiatives of Qatar including its pharmaceutical industry.
In an interview with Qatar Tribune recently, the ambassador said there are at least two major Spanish labs that are very much interested to come into the Qatari market fold to provide a wide range of medicines. He said they are already exploring this likely collaboration with the Qatar health ministry as well as trying to see if Spain can further collaborate with Qatar in healthcare sector.
"Spanish labs have shown interest in providing those drugs to Qatar whose distribution has been affected by the blockade. Some of the largest labs in Spain are ready to bring a complete offer that covers all the needs of the pharmaceutical sector in Qatar," said Ambassador Escobar.
Highlighting the strength of Spain in pharmaceutical industry, the diplomat said Spain can offer to Qatar, among others, a health system of recognised reputation and a universal system of access to pharmaceutical drugs, population stratification analysis models led by universities and regional governments and companies that develop software for pharmacy office management (retail offices) and complex systems for the management of hospital pharmacy.
He also mentioned the benefits of cooperation with private hospitals in Spain such as in transferring patients from Qatar. According to the envoy, they are working with certain insurance companies that send their patients to other European destinations.
He reiterated Spain's reputation in the healthcare sector with the Spanish health system ranked seventh in the world, according to World Health Organization, and their pool of health professionals who are top-rated and in high demand in the rest of Europe.
"Any Qatari patient will find in Spain, together with an excellent health service, a human touch, an understanding and welcoming culture, an excellent weather and cuisine that will stimulate a quick recovery and benefit both the patient and the accompanying family members," the envoy added.
In terms of food security which is the current top priority of Qatar in its self-sufficiency efforts, Ambassador Escobar said his country has increased their export of food to Qatar by 48 percent since the beginning of the crisis. Among the Spanish products visible in the local market are fruits, vegetables, oil and dairy products.
He also mentioned the progress in the strategic cooperation between Qatar and Spain through the creation of AgroQatar, an alliance of Spanish firms of greenhouses, which has signed an agreement with local companies in December. The envoy said the initiative - which has designed a greenhouse system that specifically meets the needs of Qatar - is Spain's immediate response to the heightened food security efforts of the country since the blockade.
"AgroQatar has been created ad hoc for Qatar, providing a turnkey project for any local investor that wants to develop their agro production. It offers exporting greenhouses structures, distribution, commercialisation, training, financing and water treatment solution for local entrepreneurship with tested technology designed exclusively for producing in Qatar during the whole year in terms of economic efficiency," explained the ambassador, adding that the first production from the initiative is likely to be seen towards the end of the year.
Commenting on the blockade, Ambassador Escobar said that Spain, like most of the countries, is supporting the mediation efforts of Kuwait and hopes to see an immediate end to the conflict.
"For Spain, it's been very painful to see a quarrel between members of the same family. We are supporting the Kuwaiti mediation as the best way forward, for a resolution of the crisis. Not only because of the humanitarian consequences, but also because it harms the regional cooperation in very important fields, including security," the ambassador added.
