Qatar is advancing its mental health care framework through enhanced collaboration between the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), underscoring the expansion of specialist and community-based mental health services throughout the country. This development coincides with World Mental Health Day 2026, observed annually on October 10, which emphasizes the importance of accessible, high-quality mental health care tailored to individual needs.
As Qatar’s primary provider of specialist mental health services, HMC offers a wide spectrum of care for children, adolescents, adults, and older adults, spanning inpatient, outpatient, community, and virtual settings. The services include child and adolescent mental health, perinatal mental health, older adult psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, intellectual disability services, adult psychiatry, psychology, and community mental health care.
A strategic emphasis has been placed on delivering mental health care within community settings when clinically appropriate, while continuing to provide specialized hospital-based services for more complex cases. In this approach, the perspectives of individuals with lived experience are valued for enhancing healthcare professionals’ understanding of barriers to access and improving service responsiveness.
Dr. Majid Alabdulla, chairman of Mental Health at HMC, highlighted ongoing efforts to expand specialist mental health services across Qatar. He noted the commitment to evidence-based, patient-centered care delivered by multidisciplinary teams through community, outpatient, virtual, and inpatient services.
Central to Qatar’s evolving mental health care model is the integration of mental health services within primary care, facilitated by close collaboration between HMC and PHCC. This partnership has established 28 integrated mental health clinics within health centers across the country, serving diverse patient groups such as adults, older adults, perinatal patients, and autistic adults. The integrated system aims to ensure continuity of care between primary and specialist services.
Patients benefiting from this model receive community-based care in familiar settings while maintaining clear referral pathways to HMC for complex or intensive specialist treatment. Dr. Samya al-Abdulla, senior consultant family physician and assistant managing director at PHCC, emphasized the critical role primary care plays in supporting mental health needs. She explained that PHCC health centers enable patients to openly discuss mental health concerns with family physicians, obtain assessments, and access integrated or specialist services as needed.
In addition to integrated mental health clinics, PHCC family physicians contribute to the identification, assessment, and management of mental health conditions within primary care, supported by access to psychology and other relevant services. This approach facilitates patient-centered care delivery at the most appropriate level, ensuring timely referrals to specialist services when necessary.