The Public Art department at Qatar Museums Authority (QMA) and the Health Facility Development Department at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) launched a new initiative that will bring Islamic art into the hospital communities. The project consists of setting up 22 high resolution images of objects belonging to the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) collection inside Hamad General Hospital, Rumailah Hospital and Women’s Hospital. Each image will be enlarged, printed on anti-bacterial and fire-resistant material, and mounted floor to ceiling on one wall of the corridor intersections in the hospitals with a label identifying the object in Arabic and English.Commenting on the significance of this initiative for QMA, Jean Paul Engelen, director of Public Art at Qatar Museums Authority, said: “It has been a great honour to work together with the Hamad team from Health Facility Development on the creation of artwork for their hospitals. By using images from MIA’s wonderful collection, we can share Qatar’s heritage beyond the museums.”Aisha al-Khater, director of the Museum of Islamic Art, was quoted as well, saying: “Sharing the Museum of Islamic Art’s objects outside of its walls is a wonderful initiative between HMC and QMA. The 22 images of some of MIA masterpieces give the public a glimpse of the museum’s extraordinary collection and a rare opportunity to enjoy a close up look at the objects”.Hamad al-Khalifa, group chief of Facilities & Workforce Planning, commented: “We are delighted to work on this initiative with the QMA to share their art for the benefit of all who visit our hospitals. We are engaged in major programmes to enhance the environment of our hospitals and this project provides another means to deliver a holistic approach to high quality patient care. It has been widely recognised that the arts, especially visual art, can have a therapeutic effect on people and we thank the QMA and the MIA for the opportunity to improve our hospital settings by adding colour and inspiration through art.” The beneficial influence of art in healthcare environments on patient experiences and their care outcome has been widely researched and is now commonly recognised.