HMC Becomes First Healthcare System Outside US and Singapore to Achieve Prestigious Fellowship Programs Accreditation

Doha, 27 December, 2016

Five fellowship programs at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) have achieved accreditation by the ACGME-I, the international arm of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), designed to ensure the high quality of training of doctors in their residency and fellowship years. This achievement solidifies HMC’s position as an internationally recognized teaching institution and academic medical center and is instrumental in helping to build capacity and capability to support the organization’s future expansion plans.

The five newly accredited fellowship programs are Cardiology, Endocrinology, Infectious Disease, Nephrology and Oncology. “To achieve this prestigious accreditation, we were required to demonstrate that our fellowship programs met the stringent ACGME-I standards in six areas of medical competency: medical knowledge, clinical skills, interpersonal and communication skills, practice based learning and improvement, system based practice and professionalism,” said Dr. Abdullatif Al Khal, Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Director of Medical Education at HMC.

“The successful accreditation of these five programs demonstrates our commitment at HMC to fostering the best learning environment for our doctors. We recognize the importance of creating such a highly conducive learning environment for improving the care we provide to our patients,” he added.

These accreditations are a significant achievement that takes HMC’s subspecialty training programs to a new level. The healthcare organization has also achieved accreditation for 14 of its residency training programs. This new milestone also sees HMC become the first healthcare system outside the United States and Singapore to achieve ACGME-I accreditation for its subspecialty programs.

“A significant amount of work, time and resources went into the preparation of these fellowship programs,” explained Dr. Al Khal. “I am proud of the effort and commitment that has gone into them by all faculty members, especially the program directors.”

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The program directors responsible include: Dr. Awad Al Qahtani for the Cardiology Fellowship; Dr. Sara Darwish for the Endocrinology Fellowship; Dr. Muna Al Maslamani for the Infectious Disease Fellowship; Dr. Omar Fituri for the Nephrology Fellowship and Dr. Salha Bujassoum for the Oncology Fellowship.

The ACGME accredits US-based hospitals and medical centers to ensure the highest standard of training for doctors in their residency and fellowship years. The ACGME-I accredits international hospitals and medical centers using the same rigorous standards.

Such accredited training programs are highly renowned because they demonstrate a clear commitment to teaching the principles of professionalism, experiential learning, progressive responsibility, meaningful patient responsibility, team-based education and patient care.

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About Hamad Medical Corporation
Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) is the main provider of secondary and tertiary healthcare in Qatar and one of the leading hospital providers in the Middle East.

For more than three decades, HMC has been dedicated to delivering the safest, most effective and compassionate care to all its patients.

HMC manages nine hospitals – six specialist hospitals and three community hospitals – as well as the National Ambulance Service and home and residential care services.

In January 2016, HMC achieved the significant distinction of becoming the first healthcare system across the globe to have all its hospitals accredited by Joint Commission International under the Academic Medical Center accreditation program. Additionally, the National Ambulance Service, Home Healthcare Service, Stroke Service and Palliative Care, have all received this prestigious accreditation since 2011.

To meet the needs of a rapidly growing population, HMC has announced ambitious plans to expand capacity across its network through to 2030. This expansion plan includes a further three new hospitals in Hamad Bin Khalifa Medical City.

HMC is leading the development of the region’s first academic health system – combining innovative research, top-class education and excellent clinical care – and is committed to building a legacy of healthcare expertise in Qatar. HMC collaborates with key partners who are experts in Qatar and beyond, including Weill Cornell Medical College-Qatar, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and Partners Healthcare, Boston.

HMC is also the first hospital system in the Middle East to achieve institutional accreditation from the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education – International (ACGME-I), which demonstrates excellence in the way medical graduates are trained through residency, internship and fellowship programs.

For more information please visit: www.hamad.qa  or contact Noimot Olayiwola, Media Project Manager Tel: (00974) 44390945; Mobile: (00974) 55568709; Email: [email protected]

© Press Release 2016