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Tribune News Network
Doha
Expert speakers at the Department of Public Health at Qatar University College of Health Sciences' (QU-CHS) seminar have highlighted that the ongoing blockade on Qatar has tremendous social and mental implications on families.
The seminar, titled 'Social Relations under the Blockade: Effects on Family Mental Health and Wellbeing', aimed at outlining the impact of the blockade on family relationships and mental health and wellbeing. It is part of the series of events organised by QU to highlight the impact of the blockade from the legal, social, and economic perspectives.
Attendees included CHS Dean and QU Biomedical Research Center Director Prof Asma al Thani and representatives from the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), QU Social and Economic Survey Research Institute (SESRI), Doha International Family Institute (DIFI), and Family Consulting Center (WIFAQ).
The event's programme included two sessions. The first session focused on social implications of the blockade and the challenges families are going through. The second session reflected on the mental health implications of the blockade and the influence of the blockade on QU students.
Presentations were made by SESRI Senior Research Assistant Noof Abdulhadi al Rakeb, DIFI Senior Lead Research Dr Azza Abdelmoneium, WIFAQ Executive Director Rashid Ahmed al Dosari, HMC Senior Consultant Psychiatrist Dr Suhaila Ghuloum, and Senior Student Counselor/Health Psychologist at QU Student Counseling Center Tayseer Aljeeli.
The event ended with an interactive session moderated by CHS Department of Public Health Lecturer and the event's organiser Dr Ghadir al Jayyousi, in which guest speakers fielded questions from the audience and the students.
Prof Asma al Thani noted that the Qatari government put great efforts to handle the impact of the blockade and to control its effects on people and normal life. She also highlighted how QU addressed this challenge through all of its colleges and academic specialties.
The seminar concluded with the following recommendations:
1) Conduct more research on the impact of the blockade from different perspectives.
2) Emphasising the role of primary health care in providing mental health services for individuals and families affected by the blockade.
3) Greater coordination among organisations to deal with different types of crises as a result of the blockade.
4) More events be held and research conducted to reflect the positive impact of the blockade on individuals and families.
