QDA fetes first batch of diabetes nurse graduates

The Qatar Diabetes Association (QDA) along with Action on Diabetes yesterday congratulated the first batch of certified diabetes nurses in Qatar who graduated from the Michener Institute’s Graduate Certificate of Diabetes Education.The QDA has been working with Action on Diabetes (AOD) to launch Qatar’s first accredited training programme for nurses working with patients who have diabetes. The initiative has proven to be a great success with 25 educators participating. Twenty-one of them are now certified diabetes educator nurses. The programme is the first of its kind in Qatar and the region and is administered by Canadian Michener Institute for Applied Health Science in co-operation with QDA and Calgary University-Qatar.Sheikh Faisal bin Fahad al-Thani, deputy managing director at Maersk Oil Qatar, one of the AOD partners, said: “Maersk Oil is proud to support the local authorities with the education and world-class international certification of select nurses. The aim of this initiative is to improve diabetes healthcare and better serve the people and residents of Qatar. On behalf of Maersk Oil Qatar, I congratulate each of the graduates on their hard work and dedication.”QDA executive director Dr Abdullah al-Hamaq expressed his happiness to work with AOD on the programme where many diabetes educators in Qatar succeeded at the Graduate Certificate Diabetes Education course, and received an international recognised certificate.It is expected that the certificate will contribute positively in improving the health educators’ skills and thereby provide the best care techniques to patients with diabetes and help them improve their lifestyle, as well as increase awareness about diabetes and its preventing methods.“QDA always seeks to provide the latest methods and information to update the healthcare providers and all those working in the field of diabetes, which will reflect positively on the diabetes management plan,” he added.QDA programme manager Sharoud al-Jundi said: “The Michener course was very beneficial to the participants. It helped them improve their knowledge of diabetes management and their ability to work effectively with their patients with diabetes. This is the first time that the Michener Institute of Canada has come to the region and we are glad that the QDA was instrumental in choosing Qatar to be the first country to offer the Graduate Certificate Diabetes Education course to a wide range of diabetes educators both from the public as well as the private sector.”With an estimate of up to 16.7% of the adult Qatari population between the ages of 20 to 79 years old having diabetes, AOD is working alongside Qatar’s health authorities to help tackle the spread of the disease. As part of its approach AOD is taking insights derived from research into diabetes in Qatar and using this information and knowledge to inform and educate the relevant groups of society, including healthcare providers and all other stakeholders.  AOD was launched as a partnership between the Supreme Council of Health, Hamad Medical Corporation, Primary Healthcare Corporation (PHCC), Qatar Diabetes Association, Maersk Oil Qatar and Novo Nordisk.