The National Institute for Diabetes, Obesity and metabolic diseases of the Hamad Medical Corporation in Qatar was awarded the Joint Action Team Prize on Non -Transitional Diseases of the World Health Organization and the United Nations Organization for 2025, in appreciation of his global pioneering role in the field of obesity and treatment. The award was delivered during the activities of the eighties of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 25, 2025.
“Obesity is one of the most prominent health challenges in our time, we work at the National Institute of Diabetes, Obesity and metabolism to reformulate the way in which this chronic disease is dealt with by building an integrated model that combines prevention, early detection, advanced care, health awareness, and scientific research within One system. This award emphasizes the leadership of the State of Qatar in innovation and putting visions of effective responses to confront the global obesity epidemic.
Dr. Dhabiya Al -Muhannadi added: “By combining innovation, cooperation and focusing on the patient, the National Institute for Diabetes, Obesity and metabolism is enhanced by the position of the State of Qatar as a global center for developing applicable solutions globally in the field of obesity treatment, as the therapeutic models that were developed in Qatar contribute today to forming the future in the field of treating metabolism globally.”
The most prominent achievements and work programs at the institute for which the prize won the following:
- Specialized care: expansion of multidisciplinary services to treat obesity through the National Center for Obesity Treatment, the National Center for Obesity Surgery and Medicine, and Aisha Bint Hamad Al -Attiyah Hospital, while providing treatment paths for adolescents and people with special needs.
- Integration and care paths: Restore obesity patient care paths at the national level to facilitate referrals, enhance the care system and ensure patients obtaining appropriate treatment in a timely manner, with a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation system to follow up on patients ’health and their health results and measure the satisfaction of patients, which provides a more efficient and focused care system on the patient.
- Capacity Building: Establishing a fellowship program in obesity medicine is the first fellowship program in the region that receives an international accreditation from the American Council for Higher Medical Education (Acgme-I), and to launch an accredited certificate for continuous professional education in the treatment of obesity and obesity surgery to provide health care cadres with the necessary practical skills.
- Leading research: leading leading research experiments on therapeutic intervention to treat diabetes by focusing on the diet and enhancing metabolism. It has proven that extensive interventions to adjust the lifestyle can, when implemented early, can treat type 2 diabetes and obesity.
- Driving in Policies and Systems: Providing technical expertise to support the development of national guidance and care paths.
- Innovation in crises: Ensuring the continuity of care without stopping during the Kofid-19 pandemic through virtual clinics, delivering medicines to homes, and a series of seminars on obesity held online for the public, which contributed to ensuring patients remaining aware and obtaining support throughout the period of the pandemic.
- Community Communication: Driving national campaigns such as the International Day of Obesity and World Diabetes Day, which provided tens of thousands of individuals health examinations and health education in addition to awareness through digital platforms. These initiatives have provided support to the public in the areas of obesity, the treatment of its associated social stigma, and the promotion of healthy lifestyles.
The National Institute for Diabetes, Obesity and metabolism was established in 2016 and the institute includes national centers for excellence in treating obesity, surgery, obesity, diabetes and research, which contributes to enhancing the health of the population through the integration of treatment services, developing guidelines based on evidence, training health cadres and public members, as well as conducting research that translates policies into measurable results. This multidisciplinary and centered model has contributed to the patient to consolidating the position of the State of Qatar as a regional and global pioneer in the field of obesity and diabetes.