Q Life Magazine Q Magazine December 2018 | Page 40

| Issue 5
Sultana Afdhal
Innovating for a healthier world
The CEO of the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH) aims to make Qatar a hub for
healthcare innovation, spreading its knowledge globally through international partners
cardiovascular disease; poor diets that revolve around
high consumption of sugar and fats; and physical
inactivity contributing to diabetes. Educating the
community to become more health literate, by stopping
smoking or reducing salt intake for instance, is key to
well-being.
What are WISH’s objectives in Qatar?
| Sultana Afdhal
We aim to continue to influence healthcare policy
through our evidenced-based research reports, such as
those on dementia, autism, and accountable care, which
have all been part of key national health strategies in
Qatar.
What are today’s most pressing health
challenges?
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which are classed
as medical conditions or diseases that are not caused by
infectious agents, are today’s most pressing healthcare
challenges. These include diabetes, cancer, and heart
disease. With an increasingly aging population globally,
the burden of diseases associated with old age such as
dementia are increasing for societies and healthcare
systems across the world.
How does WISH work to address these
challenges?
A majority of these diseases are preventable, with
common causes including tobacco use, which leads to
40
The World Innovation Summit
for Health (WISH) brings together
around 2,000 healthcare experts,
innovators, entrepreneurs,
policymakers, and ministers from
over 100 countries. Organised in
Doha, Qatar, the Summit provides
a platform for this community to
collaboratively achieve one goal:
a healthier world. WISH also
creates and disseminates world-
class, evidence-based content and
knowledge, and helps build action-
driven communities who work
together to address today’s most
pressing global healthcare challenges.