By Joseph Varghese/Staff Reporter

The Qatar University College of Medicine (QU-CMED) was formally inaugurated with HE the Minister of Public Health Abdulla bin Khalid al-Qahtani and QU Board of Regents vice chairman Sheikh Dr Abdullah bin Ali al-Thani unveiling a plaque.

HE the Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr Mohamed Abdul Wahed Ali al-Hammadi, HE the Minister of Administrative Development Dr Issa Saad al-Jafali al-Nuaimi and prominent Qatari entrepreneur HE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim al-Thani were present.

QU president Dr Hassan al-Derham, QU Board of Regents members, Hamad Medical Corporation managing director Dr Hanan al-Kuwari, QU-CMED’s International Advisory Board and Johns Hopkins Medicine International vice president of Academic Affairs Prof Charles Wiener, QU-CMED dean Dr Egon Toft and former president of QU Prof Sheikha Abdulla al-Misnad, under whose leadership the college was founded, were also present.

CMED was established in 2014 by QU Board of Regents based on a directive from HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al- Thani. The establishment of the college addresses the increasing need for Qatar-trained physicians and supports the country’s growing healthcare sector and national strategies in healthcare and education.

Currently, 83 male and female students are pursuing the MD programme. As much as 55% are Qataris with 59 students overall achieving the required language and mathematics standards necessary to join the first year of the MD programme, while the rest are pursuing the Foundation Programme.

Al-Qahtani highlighted the "high-quality education" the college offers.

“Qatar University is a key partner in driving forward the healthcare sector by providing the wider community with high-qualified professionals who will contribute to support the country’s healthcare sector and increasing need for healthcare providers," al-Qahtani said.

"Building a global health system contributes to offering integrated health services which require well-qualified human resources equipped with the necessary skills, knowledge and capacities to shape a cadre of national professionals who will provide high-quality health services, in line with the goals of Qatar Vision 2030.”

Dr al-Derham noted that the college intended to adopt the approved standards of quality in the field of medical education for the bachelor degree as set by the World Federation for Medical Education for the undergraduate stage.

“Also in post-graduate stage and continuing medical education stage, the college will adopt the international standards of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education as a basic reference in the design of the curriculum and determining the clinical skills of graduates.

"The college will also apply the US standards of the Liaison Committee on Medical Education with the assistance of external reviews from this committee to make sure that its programmes match the approved standards,” Dr al-Derham added.

Dr Toft said that the college philosophy was focused on offering a medical education of international standards and levels designed specifically to service the national priorities and needs.” Page 10