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Strategies for improving the quality of caregiving in Qatar

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Commentary

Lynne Kennedy 1,2, Nathan Boucher 3,4 and Jalal Dahham5,6

1Department of Public Health, College of health Sciences, The University of Qatar, Doha, Qatar. 2Public Health, Policy and Systems, The University of Liverpool, England, UK (Correspondence to Lynne Kennedy: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.). 3School of Public Policy, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA. 4Veterans’ Health Administration Health Systems Research, Center of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation, Durham, North Carolina, USA. 5Department of Health Services Research, Care and Public Health Research Institute, Faculty of Health Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. 6Institut National de Santé Publique, d’Épidémiologie Clinique et de Toxicologie-Liban, Beirut, Lebanon.

Keywords: caregiving, caregiver, home care, health care, Qatar

Citation: Kennedy L, Boucher N, Dahham J. Strategies for improving the quality of caregiving in Qatar. East Mediterr Health J. 2025;31(9&10):535–537.https://doi.org/10.26719/2025.31.10.535. Received: 25/11/2024; Accepted: 04/03/2025

Copyright © Authors 2025; Licensee: World Health Organization. EMHJ is an open-access journal. This paper is available under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial ShareAlike 3.0 IGO licence (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo).

Qatar, a rapidly developing Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) country, has experienced significant transformation since the discovery of its oil and gas reserves, leading to dramatic changes in population, demographics, urbanization, and life expectancy, and an increasing demand for health and caregiving services (3). 

Qatar’s demographic trends present significant caregiving challenges. Between 1960 and 2023, Qatar’s population surged from approximately 50 000 to 2.72 million (4), including a rapidly increasing Qatari population that makes up 12% of the total population, 58% male immigrant workers from countries with weaker health systems, and 30% long-term residents increasingly in need of health care services. By 2050, Qatar’s elderly population is expected to increase to 20.3%, from 3.6%  in 2020, making the proportion of older people to exceed children (5,6).

Qatar’s rapid economic growth has attracted a large influx of foreign workers, from countries where the concept of formal and informal caregiving differs from that of Qatar (7), and more Qatari women now work outside their homes. These changes pose a challenge to caregiving in Qatar. 

Institutional support for caregiving in Qatar is primarily provided through the health system, which has witnessed significant changes, including improvements in primary care and a vision for comprehensive health leadership in the Arab countries (8). Despite modernization of the health facilities, the health system still emphasizes expensive curative treatment over preventative care, with limited long-term care options. This creates gaps in care for individuals with chronic illnesses or disability, leaving families to navigate bureaucracies for basic support (9). Routine caregiving tasks, such as administering medications or therapies, have become burdensome, impacting caregivers and care recipients. While there are government services to support older adults, capacity is limited and caregiver support remains fragmented (10).

In Qatar, family ties are highly valued, with strong emphasis for filial piety and respect for elders, often translating into expectations of familial caregiving. For Muslims, discussions about palliative and end-of-life care are influenced by Islamic teachings, while for non-Muslims caregiving is complex and culturally sensitive (11). Stigma around disability and mental health further complicates access to care (12). Societal perceptions discourage the use of formal caregiving services (e.g. nursing homes, professional caregivers) and encourage families to manage caregiving at home. This can lead to isolation of caregivers and families and increase the emotional and psychological toll.

Traditionally, caregiving is seen as a family responsibility in Qatar, however, as more women join the formal workforce, capacity for caregiving is impacted (13). The resultant reliance on untrained migrant workers further complicates informal caregiving.

Qatar is a predominantly Muslim country and Islam profoundly influences daily life, including caregiving, which is viewed as a religious duty. Islamic teachings emphasize the moral and spiritual responsibility of family members to care for their parents and relatives in need, guided by principles of compassion and respect for elders found in the Quran and Hadith. These teachings provide a moral framework that shapes caregiving norms and practices within the Qatari society (14). In Islam, religious beliefs strongly influence palliative and end-of-life care, emphasizing the preservation of life and acceptance of death as a divine will. Spiritual practices, including prayer, offer emotional and spiritual support throughout the period of caregiving.

One fundamental aspect of Islamic caregiving is sadaqah (voluntary charity), which encourages acts of kindness and charity, including caring for the sick, aging and vulnerable in society, as a means of spiritual reward and purification (15). This underscores the importance of altruism and community support. Religious institutions in Qatar also play a vital role, providing social services, financial assistance and volunteer opportunities, thus promoting solidarity and collective responsibility in caregiving (16). These may result in certain challenges, including balancing caregiving duties with religious obligations such as daily prayers, fasting and ensuring equitable health care access for all religious communities  (17).

Recognizing the evolving situation, the Qatari government has taken steps to address the challenges in caregiving through policies and strategic investments. For instance, since 2011 the government developed and published several national development strategies, emphasizing health improvement and liveability of Qatar. The National Health Strategy 2018–2022 and 2024–2030 (18) recommends improvements for people living with disabilities and chronic conditions, in alignment with global efforts to develop sustainable health systems that promote equitable access to services. 

Qatar and its neighbouring GCC countries may face significant challenges in caregiving in the future due to the evolving demographics, socio-cultural norms and health systems. To mitigate the challenges, tailored solutions are needed to meet the diverse needs of Qatar's older adults and people with disabilities. Based on our understanding and evidence on the family caregiving context in Qatar and these countries, we recommend that the Qatari government and community-based organisations work together to develop innovative proactive strategies to improve caregiving. These should include public awareness, caregiving policy reform, workplace policies, professionalisation of caregiving, community-based care, caregiver training and education, and leveraging technology. Relevant strategic recommendations are presented in Table 1.

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