Staff Reporter
The partnership between Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Weill Cornell Medical College (WCMC) and New York-Presbyterian Hospital (NYPH) has been described as a landmark in Qatar’s quest to be a centre of educational excellence apart from ensuring highest standards of medical care to the people of the country and the region.
“This is a great moment in our mission to achieve excellence in line with the vision of HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and HH Sheikha Mozah Nasser al-Misnad,” HMC chairperson Dr Latifa al-Houty told a press conference yesterday.
Referring to the affiliation agreement signing between the three partners as the first step to establish the foundation for further co-operation, she said the initiative will open a vast array of opportunities.
“All HMC facilities will be open not only for WCMC-Q students but also to their counterparts from the US,” said Dr Latifa while explaining that exchange of faculty between HMC and NYPH and collaboration in research are also being envisaged.
The NYPH senior vice-president and chief medical officer Dr Steven J Corwin observed that the affiliation agreement assured the advancement of co-operation between clinicians and researchers in New York and Doha.
“As the University Hospital of WCMC, with the chiefs of clinical services in the Hospital holding chairmanships of the corresponding academic departments within WCMC, NYPH is ideally placed to work with HMC and WCMC-Q in developing opportunities for the exchange of knowledge and training,” he said.
WCMC’s provost of medical affairs and Stephen and Suzanne Weiss dean Dr Antonio M Gotto, Jr, maintained that partnership between a ‘great’ medical school and a ‘great’ hospital was a critical factor for success.
“This is an important milestone in the partnership announced between Cornell University and Qatar Foundation three years ago, bridging a gap of 7,500 miles,” he said.
Dr Gotto remarked that the co-operation between HMC, WCMC and NYPH will benefit the people of Qatar and the region by providing them with the highest standards of medical care.
In reply to a question, Dr Gotto said it was envisaged to conduct exchange programmes for faculty between HMC and NYPH.
Asked about the preparedness of HMC to cater to the requirements of WCMC-Q students, who are dependent on the former for their clinical education training, Dr Latifa clarified that the sites where the students have to go confirm to the required standards.
HMC managing director HE Turki al-Khater pointed out that the Corporation is expected to obtain the Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation, which stipulates global standards within three years.
“Right now the students are only going to observe the interaction between physicians and patients in various departments and when it is time for them to be attached to the Corporation (as residents), we will be fully prepared,” he said.
Dr Latifa reiterated that the HMC management was committed to meet the required standards for WCMC-Q students and the Corporation was receiving the best support from the government.
The WCMC-Q dean Dr Daniel R Alonso said that WCMC-Q students will receive much of their clinical education in HMC facilities, where they are going to have their first opportunity to directly observe medicine being practiced.
“Further, the HMC physicians who are to teach WCMC-Q students will be carefully selected, subject to all requirements and norms,” Dr Alonso maintained.
The HMC chairperson asserted that the affiliation agreement does not in any manner compromise excellence or standards. “The WCMC-Q students will be as qualified as their counterparts in the US,” she said.
Recalling that about 33% of WCMC graduates in the US opt for NYPH to do their training, Dr Corwin suggested that it is very important for HMC to attract the WCMC-Q graduates by providing them with the best facilities for their postgraduate training.
Lauding the affiliation agreement Cornell University president Jeffrey Sean Lehman observed that WCMC-Q was in a critical stage of its evolution.
HE al-Khater reaffirmed the importance of educating the doctors of the future. “We are committed to providing the highest quality of care to our patients, and this partnership will enable us to work together to train personnel and upgrade services,” he said.
The HMC managing director, who welcomed WCMC-Q students as they begin their clinical education, also said the Corporation management was looking forward to welcoming them back as physicians in the future.
HMC vice chairman Sheikh Hamad bin Jaber al-Thani described the partnership as a breakthrough and historic moment for Qatar. “The future is promising,” he added. |
