Doha, Qatar, 12 November 2018
His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Father Amir, and Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation (QF), today attended the official inauguration of Sidra Medicine – a brand new, world-leading women’s and children’s hospital in Qatar.
Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, who officially inaugurated Sidra Medicine, a member of QF, said in a speech to celebrate its grand opening: “As a leading center for innovation and excellence in the field, Sidra Medicine's research capabilities helped transition the healthcare system in Qatar, ushering in a new era of healthcare. Indeed, Sidra Medicine is unique in its pioneering role in using robots for pediatric surgery, particularly in the Heart Center, as well as its contributions to scientific discoveries in diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and other serious illnesses.
“Additionally, Sidra created a national genome database, in collaboration with the Qatar Genome Project, which will form the building blocks for “precision medicine,” and facilitate an exchange of knowledge that will allow us to understand diseases on a deeper level.”
Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser added: “We can say that Sidra Medicine is perhaps one of the most ambitious and far-reaching projects in Qatar over the past two decades. It has rapidly achieved positive impacts beyond national borders. It has become a regional destination of medical tourism for patients from the region and beyond.”
His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, was also in attendance at the ceremony, together with ministers, local and international VIPs, and guests from the healthcare sector.
One of the most ambitious greenfield hospital developments of its kind, Sidra Medicine represents the vision of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser to develop the region’s leading academic medical center and provide healthcare of the highest global standards to the people of Qatar and beyond. The new hospital addresses the growing need for specialist children’s and maternity care by offering services previously unavailable in Qatar and, in many cases, across the wider MENA region.
The ultra-modern, high-tech facility is situated in a striking building designed by renowned architect Pelli Clarke. More than 4,000 highly-trained clinical and support staff representing over 85 nationalities have been drawn by Sidra Medicine’s ambitious vision to care for women, children, and young people.
The new hospital provides more than 50 services across outpatient clinics and to inpatients, with 400 new beds across three hospital wings. With access to leading technology ranging from intra-operative MRIs and robotic-assisted surgical systems, experts at Sidra Medicine focus on treating a range of highly-complex and challenging conditions. Some of the children’s specialist services available at Sidra Medicine include cardiology, neurology, urology, and plastics and craniofacial reconstruction surgery.
The hospital has brought together some of the world’s leading practitioners and pioneers in these fields. Along with highly-qualified multi-disciplinary teams, they provide the very best in specialized care to women and children.
Sidra Medicine takes a multidisciplinary approach to patient care, where a group of dedicated clinical and support staff sees one patient throughout their journey with Sidra Medicine. The teams are made up of physicians who work with nurses, nurse practitioners, dieticians, mental health experts, child life specialists and many other experts, depending on the patient’s individual needs.
Sidra Medicine is focusing considerable resources on developing biomedical and clinical research capable of improving patient outcomes. These include a collaboration with the Qatar Genome Programme, a member of QF, which is an ambitious population-based project designed to generate genome sequencing and molecular data about the Qatari population, and link it to a national electronic medical record system to chart a roadmap for future advanced healthcare through personalized medicine.
Among its many other research priorities, Sidra Medicine is gathering detailed epidemiological data to understand the biochemical and molecular diagnosis of childhood diabetes in Qatar. Efforts to build an accurate bank of data showing the causes of diabetes for the entire pediatric population are underway, with the aim of tailoring treatment for each child at Sidra Medicine.
In addition to delivering outstanding care and undertaking leading research, Sidra Medicine is building capacity and expertise in Qatar’s healthcare system through a clear and comprehensive commitment to the highest standards of medical education and continuous professional development opportunities for healthcare professionals. Along with a development strategy tailored for national talent, Sidra Medicine is also offering medical trainees an exceptional educational experience to develop safe and competent doctors specialized in children’s and women’s health.
Through effective collaboration and partnerships with academic partners, including QF partner university Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar, Qatar University, and the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education - International, as well as world-class medical centers and leading research institutions, Sidra Medicine is committed to offering the best medical education for the next generation of healthcare professionals and providing high-quality healthcare to children and women.
Addressing national talent development and capacity-building, Sidra Medicine has set out a package of support for professional development, training programs, mentorship, coaching, and more. Sidra Medicine has worked in partnership with world-renowned institutions such as the ILM (Institute of Leadership Management) and Harvard Business Review to bring best-in-class learnings to Qatar. The success of the strategy will be further developed when National Development Strategy 3.0 comes into effect in the coming months.
Commenting on the grand opening, Peter Morris, CEO of Sidra Medicine, said: “Sidra’s vision is to become a beacon of learning, discovery and exceptional care. Under the leadership of Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, we’ve made incredible progress in a short space of time and laid strong foundations for our future success. At Sidra Medicine, we have globally competitive clinicians and scientists working together on a single campus with state of the art equipment and technology in a stunning new hospital.”
While today’s ceremony marks the grand opening of Sidra Medicine, the facility has been providing inpatient services since January 2018 and outpatient services since May 2016, marking several milestones:
- Opening a specialist congenital heart center.
- Setting up the region’s biggest pediatric and adolescent mental health team.
- Launching the Middle East’s first pediatric robotic surgery program to perform and instruct its pediatric surgical doctors on the latest surgical techniques.
- Creating a child advocacy program dedicated to protecting children from abuse or neglect at home and in the community.
- Bringing some of the latest healthcare technology to the Middle East for the first time, including intra-operative MRI machines, supercomputers and high-intensity microscopes.
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About Sidra Medicine
Sidra Medicine provides specialized healthcare to women, children, and young people from Qatar and around the world. It is a private hospital for public benefit.
Established by Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, Sidra Medicine embraces best practice medical education, innovative biomedical and clinical research and discovery, and exceptional patient and family focused care. This combination makes Sidra Medicine one of the handful of healthcare organizations in the world that embeds the concept of personalized medicine into its very ethos of treatment and care.
Sidra Medicine provides comprehensive specialist healthcare services for children and young people, as well as maternity and gynecology care for women. Some of its children’s specialist services include Cardiology, Neurology, Urology and Plastics & Craniofacial Reconstruction. It also treats and cares for pregnant women with fetal complications.
The ultramodern healthcare organization is a testament to Qatar’s pioneering spirit and sustained commitment to its human and social development.
To access Sidra Medicine services, and learn more about our contribution to global healthcare, education and research, please visit www.sidra.org.
Qatar Foundation – Unlocking Human Potential
Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) is a non-profit organization that supports Qatar on its journey to becoming a diversified and sustainable economy. QF strives to serve the people of Qatar and beyond by providing specialized programs across its innovation-focused ecosystem of education, science and research, and community development.
QF was founded in 1995 by His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Father Amir, and Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, who shared the vision to provide Qatar with quality education. Today, QF’s world-class education system offers lifelong learning opportunities to community members as young as six months through to doctoral level, enabling graduates to thrive in a global environment and contribute to the nation’s development.
QF is also creating a multidisciplinary innovation hub in Qatar, where homegrown researchers are working to address local and global challenges. By promoting a culture of lifelong learning and fostering social engagement through programs that embody Qatari culture, QF is committed to empowering the local community and contributing to a better world for all.
For a complete list of QF’s initiatives and projects, visit www.qf.org.qa