Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has honoured Aspetar, the orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital, and Al Emadi Hospital for passing the assessment of the Patient Safety Friendly Hospital Initiative (PSFHI). A tool to measure the level of patient safety in the hospitals, PSFHI was developed by the World Health Organisation’s Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean.
Huda al-Katheeri, acting director, HealthCare Quality and Patient Safety Department at the Ministry of Public Health, presented certificates of appreciation and trophies to Mohamed Khalifa al-Suwaidi, director-general of Aspetar Hospital and CEO of Aspire Zone Foundation, and to Dr Mohamed Abdullah al-Emadi, chairman and founder of Al Emadi Hospital.
Al-Katheeri explained that the MoPH aims to achieve the highest international standards for the safety and quality of healthcare services delivered to the population of Qatar.  “Our vision is to lead the healthcare quality and patient safety initiative in Qatar and provide support to all healthcare organisations in their quest to provide safe and high quality services to all patients, all the time,” the official stated.
Al-Suwaidi recalled that since opening its doors in 2007, Aspetar has placed patient safety and quality improvement at the top of its agenda. “The achievement is a recognition of the hard work and commitment that Aspetar and Aspire Zone Foundation staff  have put into reaching this milestone. The evidence is very clear that having a well-structured safety programme and a body of staff committed to following strict patient safety protocols result in better patient outcomes and patient satisfaction.”
Dr al-Emadi stressed the importance of the ongoing role of the MoPH to ensure an integrated healthcare system that provides high-quality healthcare services according to the best international standards.