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Tribune News Network
Doha
Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) is celebrating its 40th anniversary this month, marking four decades of delivering safe, effective and compassionate care to Qatar’s population since its establishment by Amiri decree in 1979. 
“Under the direction of Qatar’s visionary leaders, we are proud to have delivered a wide range of healthcare services to millions of people throughout the past 40 years,” said Minister of Public Health HE Dr Hanan Mohamed al Kuwari.
“I am truly proud of Hamad’s journey and its transformation, not only in terms of capacity but quality as well. Hamad is now a healthcare provider that ranks alongside the world’s best and it is the tens of thousands of dedicated staff who have worked at Hamad over the past 40 years who have driven this success,” the minister added.
HMC has expanded its capacity with the opening of many new hospitals throughout the past four decades and today operates 12 hospitals across Qatar. Additionally, the number of patients being cared for by its clinical teams has grown at an exponential pace.
Ali al Janahi, HMC’s acting assistant managing director, explained how the rate and scale of HMC’s transformation is unmatched around the world.
“If I look back at HMC as a healthcare provider when I first joined 40 years ago, it is unrecognisable today. Qatar’s population, when HMC was established in 1979, was just 225,000, yet today Qatar is home to more than 2.8 million people. This rapid population growth has driven the expansion of HMC and it is hard to think of another healthcare provider anywhere in the world that has undergone this scale of transformation,” said Janahi.
He added, “It is remarkable to think about how much HMC has changed since the early years. In the 1980s healthcare systems and technology were very basic compared to today. For example, the ambulances used in those early years were ordinary suburban cars without any specialist equipment, operated with only a driver and technician, if available.
“Most of our processes and patient records were carried out using paper-based files. Today, we have some of the most sophisticated and advanced systems and technology available in the world, right across our network.”
Despite treating greater numbers of patients each year for the past four decades, HMC has worked hard to not only meet this increasing demand but to also advance the quality of care it delivers to patients in all areas of service.
In the past 10 years alone, HMC’s services have been assessed and successfully accredited more than 30 times by leading accreditation bodies around the world. This accreditation process culminated in HMC’s greatest international accreditation success to date earlier this year with 13 of its facilities and services being accredited by US-based Joint Commission International (JCI).
Throughout December, HMC is organising a series of activities to celebrate its 40 year anniversary.
Ali Abdulla al Khater, HMC’s chief communications officer, said: “This is a significant milestone for HMC and one which we wish to share with the people of Qatar. Patients and visitors to our hospitals this month will be able to study the history of HMC and look at photos from the past four decades on display in each hospital.
“We have also developed a dedicated 40-year anniversary website, showcasing our history and some of our long-serving staff will be sharing their memories with the public via our social media channels. The 40th anniversary will also be a key element of our activities for Qatar National Day this year.”
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10/12/2019
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