Medical Experts Showcase Future of Health Care in Qatar in Preparation for Commissioning of Pioneering, High-Tech Hospital for Women and Children

DOHA, Qatar, November 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

A delegation of some of Qatar's leading players in health care and medical education arrived in Düsseldorf today to attend Medica, the world's largest trade fair for providers of healthcare services. The delegation includes Dr. Joachim Dudenhausen, Medical Advisor and Head of Medical Staff Services at Sidra Medical and Research Center, and a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, Dr. Javaid Sheikh, Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q) and representatives from Aspetar Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Hospital and the Anti-Doping Lab (ADL) Qatar.  The group is attending Medica to showcase the work being done to transform health care in Qatar and beyond.  

Currently under development in Doha, Qatar, Sidra Medical and Research Center will be an ultra-modern, all-digital academic medical center which is being designed and planned to the best international standards in sciences. Sidra and WCMC-Q, a campus of the prestigious Weill Cornell in New York and a leading provider of medical education in the region, will collaborate to train the doctors of the future. Furthermore, Sidra and WCMC-Q will work together to make Qatar a hub for advancing medical science through biomedical research.

Sidra Chief Executive Officer Dr. William F. Owen, MD, FACP, said, "Sidra's vision is that it will be the extraordinary provider of health care for women and children in the Gulf region. This will be accomplished in a technologically advanced facility where patient-centered, compassionate care of patients and their families is the standard. A woman and child's health is as important as their health care, and we will always be looking to discover better ways to meet those goals."

Dr. Dudenhausen said, "Sidra's mission is to set new standards in health care for women and children regionally and globally through clinical care, research, and medical education. One important way we will achieve this is through our state-of-the-art, all-digital facility, where sophisticated laboratories and cutting-edge medical equipment will enable true innovation and clinical advancement. This is a great opportunity to showcase what Sidra will offer."

"Our mission at WCMC-Q is to provide the finest education possible for medical students, to conduct cutting edge research and, ultimately, to provide health care of the highest quality to the Qatari population," said Dr. Javaid Sheikh, Dean of the College. "Through Sidra, our students will have the opportunity to receive clinical training in an ultra-modern environment that will truly prepare them to become the physicians of the future."

Sidra Medical and Research Center will set new standards in patient care for women and children in Qatar and offer unique and unprecedented opportunities for world-leading health professionals to be pioneers in the discovery and advancement of patient care. The new facility will be all-digital, incorporating the most advanced information technology applications in all clinical, research and business functions.

About Sidra Medical and Research Center

Sidra Medical and Research Center is a groundbreaking hospital, research and education institution, based in Doha, Qatar, that will focus on the health and wellbeing of women and children regionally and globally. Sidra will be a fully digital facility, incorporating the most advanced information technology applications in clinical, research and business functions. Sidra will initially have around 400 beds with infrastructure to enable expansion to 550 beds in a subsequent phase.

Sidra represents the vision of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser who serves as its Chairperson. The high-tech facility will not only provide world-class patient care but will also help build Qatar's scientific expertise and resources. Sidra will be funded by a US$7.9 billion endowment from Qatar Foundation, one of the largest endowments of its kind in the world.

Sidra is part of a dynamic research and education environment in Qatar that includes leading international institutions, such as: Sidra's academic partner Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, and Qatar Science and Technology Park. Through strong partnerships with leading institutions around the world, Sidra is creating an intellectual ecosystem to help advance scientific discovery through investment in medical research.

Sidra will have a unique working structure with inter-professional collaboration at the heart, providing the best holistic care for patients and an unparalleled learning environment for its medical professionals. Sidra will combine the best in design, technology, operations and practices from medical centers around the world - to offer its employees an environment that is at once familiar and extraordinary.

http://www.sidra.org

About Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar

Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar is a partnership between Cornell University and Qatar Foundation. It offers pre-medical and medical courses leading to the Cornell University MD degree with teaching by Cornell and Weill Cornell faculty and by physicians at Hamad Medical Corporation and Aspetar Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Hospital who hold Weill Cornell appointments.

Through its biomedical research program, WCMC-Q is building a sustainable research community in Qatar while advancing basic science and clinical research. Through its medical college, WCMC-Q seeks to provide the finest education possible for medical students, to improve health care both now and for future generations, and to provide highest quality of health care to the Qatari population.

http://www.qatar-med.cornell.edu

Aspetar Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Hospital

Aspetar is one of the world's leading specialized Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospitals, and the first in the Gulf Region. Through the delivery of excellence in sports medicine, physiotherapy, sports science, orthopaedic surgery and rehabilitation, Aspetar services the needs of football and Sports Clubs and Federations throughout the state of Qatar, and regularly services international athletes and professional sportspeople. In 2009, Aspetar was officially accredited by F-MARC as a FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence.

http://www.aspetar.com/

Anti-Doping Lab (ADL) Qatar

Anti-Doping Lab (ADL) Qatar is the first specialized laboratory of its kind in the Middle East.  The state of the art facility will provide anti-doping testing for athletes across the Gulf region as well as West Asia.  Doping control tests will be administered during competition, training and even in the off-season to catch cheats and protect athletes.

The ADL mission is to eliminate drug use in sports and protect athletes' health through research and testing successfully. The ADL vision is to be the leading Anti-Doping and research facility in the world, renowned for Excellence, Ethics, Progressive Planning and Research. The Benchmark for all other WADA accredited facilities.

http://www.adlqatar.com

SOURCE Sidra Medical and Research Center