DOHA: The Ministry of Culture signed a cooperation agreement on Wednesday with Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) to support collaboration and strengthen their partnership.
The agreement reflects the Ministry's commitment to fostering community partnerships with humanitarian organizations in Qatar, aligning with the country's governmental and social efforts in humanitarian work.
As part of the agreement, the Ministry will supply libraries within five HMC hospitals with a selection of books to encourage reading among patients and staff.
Jassim Al Buainain, Director of the Qatari Publishers and Distributors Forum, hailed the joint efforts with the largest health institution in the country. He pointed out that this agreement enhances the Ministry of Culture's vision of promoting a culture of reading within the healthcare sector.
He added that various programs will be launched to support patients in hospitals, alongside providing HMC with books and educational programs to encourage reading. The initiative is not only for patients but also includes staff and patients' families.
Al Buainain confirmed that many programs with HMC will be activated in the coming period.
Nasser Al Naimi, Chief of Patient Experience and Director of Hamad Healthcare Quality Institute, stated that the agreement with the Qatari Publishers and Distributors Forum under the Ministry of Culture aims to enrich the libraries in five HMC hospitals with a diverse range of books, promoting culture among employees, patients, and their families. He added that the agreement includes helping patients who wish to write a book, providing them with the necessary support after evaluating and approving their ideas, as some patients wish to document their healthcare experiences.
Al Naimi also highlighted that reading books has been found to have therapeutic benefits for patients, as evidenced by the increasing demand for book loans within the hospitals.
