1,000 delegates set to attend medical congress

By Joseph Varghese/Staff ReporterAbout 1,000 delegates and 10,000 visitors are expected to attend the first Qatar International Medical Congress (QIMC) that will be held at Qatar National Convention Centre from 26 to 28 May.There is also an exhibition along with the congress which will have about 350 exhibitors showcasing latest, cutting edge products, services and technologies in the medical field. Supreme Council of Health (SCH), Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) are the strategic partners of the congress.The organisers said that the event will be bigger in the coming years with over 40,000 visitors in the next three years. The details of the congress were announced at a press conference at St Regis Doha yesterday. Abdulrahman Ahmad al-Mannai, vice-president, QIMC, Abdullatif Ali Abdulrahman al-Abdulla, manager, International Health Relations Department, SCH, Ali Abdulla al-Khater, executive director Corporate Communications, HMC, Marriam Yaseen al-Hamadi, executive director, Corporate Communication & PR, PHCC, Fahad Rashid al-Kaabi, CEO, Manateq and Rabih Karam, managing partner, Art &Art  took part in the press conference.Al-Mannai, said: “In line with the Qatar National Vision 2030, QIMC 2015 aims to continuously support events that will lay the foundations for a healthier and strong society, and encourage innovation in Qatar’s healthcare sector. This year’s exhibition will serve as the initial stepping stone in our country’s journey towards the development of the local, regional and international medical sectors, and markets that depend on the medical industry.”“SCH support comes as an evidence of its importance in supporting medical industries, the importance it attaches on investors in the health sector and encouraging competition among them to provide the best in this field, which essentially contributes in the development of medical equipment and devices in Qatar and attract local, regional and global companies working in this field,” stated al-Abdulla of SCH.The event will attract researchers, experts, and leading medical companies from around the world. QIMC will be helping introduce medical discoveries and advancements in the field to the local healthcare sector, providing better treatment for the residents of the country.The event will bring together renowned international companies, connecting them to leading entrepreneurs, doctors, researchers and  industry professionals. Topics to be covered at the QIMC conference include internal medication and autoimmune diseases, oncology, cardiology, diabetology, pulmonology and other subjects of interest. Innovation and new findings in video capsule endoscopy, antalgia, and sensitive, yet crucial, new concepts of end-of-life (palliative care) will also be debated and discussed amongst the participants.