Sidra Medical and Research Centre (Sidra) has announced the appointment of Dr John Ferguson as chief medical officer (CMO).
Dr Ferguson will provide critical physician input and counsel in the day-to-day clinical services at Sidra.
He will be involved in overseeing Sidra’s patient- and family-centric focus via clinical advancements; quality improvement and patient safety; as well as adopting the latest technologies and best practice methodologies to ensure the effective care of patients at Sidra.
“Dr Ferguson’s appointment represents another important milestone as we get ready for two facilities - our outpatient clinic becoming fully operational by January 2017 and the preparation for the phasing of in-patient services at the main hospital,” said Peter Morris, chief executive officer of Sidra.
“Dr Ferguson will play a critical role in incorporating the latest advances in paediatric and maternity services at Sidra. His wealth of  experience and  commitment to high quality healthcare delivery is a great fit with our key mission to provide patients with world class healthcare services in an innovative and ultramodern setting.”
Dr Ferguson joins Sidra from Austin Health, a major tertiary hospital in Melbourne, Australia, with almost 1,000 beds and over 8,000 staff. Austin Health is also the provider of several state wide quaternary services, including liver transplant, spinal services, and the Victorian Respiratory Support Service.
Prior to Austin Health, Dr Ferguson was part of an Australian team tasked with developing two new hospitals and three new clinics in Kuwait City.
Dr Ferguson expressed delight in being appointed as the CMO at Sidra, which he described as an innovative hospital that is embarking on an exciting journey of growth and development.
“I look forward to the opportunity to lead Sidra’s healthcare efforts to provide world-class care for the children and women of Qatar.”  
Dr Ferguson has been a member of the Post Graduate Medical Council of Victoria since 1997 and has undertaken numerous accreditation assessments of hospitals throughout Victoria as well as sitting on several subcommittees including the Accreditation Committee and the Medical Workforce Committee.
In addition, he has held membership of a number of governmental committees and has been a lecturer for the University of Melbourne’s clinical school.
Dr Ferguson originally graduated from the University of Queensland and spent the first 12 years of his career in clinical medicine, including in rural general practice and emergency medicine.
He holds a fellowship in Medical Administration, a post graduate diploma and a masters degree in health services management and has been involved in various aspects of medical management in Victoria since 1990, including the posts of executive director, medical services at Bendigo Health Care (1994-2004) and Ballarat Health Services (2004-2006).