16 May 2013
As many as 90% of Qatari nationals are satisfied with the standards of public sector health provision, making the country top the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region with highest level of satisfaction, according to the Supreme Council of Health Annual Report 2012. According to a Gallup survey for year 2012, Qatar is way ahead of its counterparts in the region when it comes to the level of patients' satisfaction with the healthcare facilities at government hospitals. Only 8% of the total respondents interviewed for the survey said they were not satisfied and another one percent did not offer any opinion.
The UAE is second at the list with a total of 79% inhabitants saying they are satisfied with the overall healthcare services in the country. The disapproval rate in the emirates was as high as 19% while only 2% were not having any point of view about the basic necessity. The statistics in Oman was almost similar as in UAE with 78% people satisfied with the quality of healthcare in their country but 21% having complaints. Oman is followed by Bahrain, where as many as 70% feels the healthcare services they receive were good enough but 22% are wary of the facilities.
In Saudi Arabia, only 60% are satisfied with the healthcare facilities. In Kuwait only 62% nationals are satisfied with the healthcare systems. In the rest of Mena region, countries like Egypt, Iraq, Morocco and Yemen are at the bottom with the percentage of dissatisfied people exceeding 50%. Another survey conducted by the SCH in 2012 revealed around 80% of visitors to Primary Health Care Centres rated the quality and range of available services as 'extremely important'. Around 60% also rated cost as extremely important, while proximity to home or workplace was highly rated by 40% of respondents. Four 2012 studies and reports found that both the quality of and access to Qatar's healthcare services have improved.
© Gulf Times 2013
