A resilient and innovative healthcare system as well as person-centric care helped Qatar in facing and overcoming various challenges of the recent times, noted a senior official of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) yesterday.

“This is an important time for the healthcare ecosystem in Qatar. The resilience of our healthcare and the innovative and latest technologies have played a key role in overcoming the challenges of our times. The person-centred approach of our healthcare system has greatly helped in providing the best possible healthcare services. This forum is a key driver in fostering a culture of excellence that ensures every patient receives the highest quality of care in a safe and compassionate environment,” said, Nasser al-Naimi, deputy chief of Quality, Centre for Patient Experience and Staff Engagement and director, Hamad Healthcare Quality Institute.

Al-Naimi was speaking at the Person-Centred Care Forum 2023 organised by HMC and attended by nearly 2,000 healthcare professionals. The event was in partnership with US-based healthcare consultants, Planetree International and focused on the theme ‘Inspire, Innovate, and Adapt: The Future of Person-Centred Care’.

“Last year we were able to host one of the biggest sporting events, FIFA World Cup 2022 , and the resilience of the healthcare system helped us to successfully host the event. We were also able to withstand the challenges of the pandemic due to the particular aspects of our healthcare system. In recent years, we have seen the changes and shift in healthcare aided by technology and person-centred care,” explained al-Naimi.

The annual forum focused on bringing together healthcare professionals who share a passion for creating patient and family experience that improves health outcomes and healthcare culture. The conference had three tracks this year: Innovation in Person-Centred Care Practice, Compassion – Empathy in Action, and Partnership and Co-designing Care.

Dr Abdulla al-Ansari, HMC’s chief medical officer and forum co-chair said: “I am especially pleased with the number of Qatar-based presentations and speakers in this year’s Forum. It demonstrates that we are truly creating our own culture of person-centred care at HMC and in Qatar. It also shows our continuous dedication to person-centred care reflects its unwavering commitment to providing compassionate, holistic, and patient-centric services.”

International speakers for the event included renowned patient experience expert Doug Johnson from the US; Dr Eugene C Nelson, director of Population Health Measurement and co-director of the Coproduction Laboratory at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth and patient advocate Regina Holliday.

Dr Susan Frampton, president of Planetree International said the organisation was pleased to be partnering with HMC again for the Forum for 2023.

“Planetree is a mission-driven non-profit organisation setting the global standard for person-centered excellence across the continuum of care. We use a proven, evidence-based framework that puts patients and families at the center of the care experience and emphasizes the importance of caregiver well-being, patient dignity, and community health,” Dr Frampton said.

“The 2023 Forum aligns perfectly with our framework for person-centred excellence, delivering innovative and actionable approaches to enable organizations at every stage of their person-centered journey to deliver high value, compassionate care. Planetree International is pleased to support the forum and we are also pleased to see the growing momentum for person-centered excellence in Qatar and the region.”