Qatar Health 2023: Showcasing how we emerged from navigating two storms

Welcome to this special issue of Qatar Health Congress 2023 and 3rd Public Health Conference proceedings. The 2023 conference theme was “Clinical and Public Health Advances and Updates in Managing Complex Diseases”. The last few years have been extremely intense for everyone around the world, whether we consider the general population or healthcare professionals and support staff, dealing with and recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Imagine on top of this, having to also host the most popular sporting competition around the world over a whole month and a relatively small geographical area. Even if the State of Qatar has had a decade to prepare for this, the impact is very significant in all aspects of life: from transportation, food supply, accommodation, security, to healthcare delivery to resident and visiting fans. It requires collaboration among all stakeholders across various sectors and on various projects and initiatives, many of which are organised on a temporary basis. However, it is important to notice that some of the changes that have been made in response to the pandemic have emerged as positive innovations that enhance patient care and safety, and warrant to remain in place. Some of the 55 abstracts which have been selected for publication in the Qatar National Library research repository, are a testament to this.