Innovation, collaboration and an understanding of Qatar’s cultural landscape are key to Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) success in providing world-class cancer care, according to radiation oncology expert.
“Qatari physicians best understand the cultural context, the local population and its experiences and perceptions. It is essential that we continue to build and mentor our younger Qatari physicians to assume future leadership roles. Our healthcare team encompasses many wonderful team members from many different nationalities. We must ensure that among them, there are visible Qataris contributing and leading efforts towards building a world-class healthcare system,” said Dr Noora al-Hammadi of HMC’s National Centre for Cancer Care and Research (NCCCR).
Dr al-Hammadi highlighted the advances made by HMC over the last five years to tackle cancer at every stage of the patient journey. These advances include the introduction of community education and public awareness programmes to stress the importance of cancer prevention and early diagnosis, as well as initiatives to increase access to screening programmes and the provision of the best technology and equipment for diagnosis and treatment.
The radiation oncology expert also stressed the importance of the roles played by innovation and technology in the provision of cancer care. “Innovation and technology are critical to cancer care. Advances occur continuously, and we make strides every day in terms of improving outcomes for our patients through new diagnostic and therapeutic techniques,” she said.
She added: “We are one of the first centres in the world to deploy MRI-guided radiation therapy for treatment planning, and currently the only centre in the entire region to extend the application of this technology to treating bone metastases through MRI-guided high intensity focused ultrasound.”
According to her, HMC has also pioneered minimally invasive surgical techniques as well as the use of advanced imaging to guide therapies. “The radiation oncology department, based at the NCCCR, is one of the most technologically advanced in the world, with an increasing global reputation for innovative care. In terms of chemotherapy, NCCCR offers the most modern drug therapies for patients.”
Dr al-Hammadi also spoke about the development of the PET-CT Centre for Diagnosis and Research. The centre, which currently sees on average 50 patients per week, is the only one of its kind in Qatar and one of the most advanced in the GCC. “Having the centre in Qatar means patients no longer need to travel overseas for this service,” she said.
The NCCCR has also recently opened a state-of-the-art technology facility called CyberKnife. This provides the world’s only robotic radiosurgery technique to treat tumors non-invasively anywhere in the body.