Doha, Qatar, 03 July 2016

Sidra Medical and Research Center (Sidra) today announced the appointment of Dr. John Ferguson as Chief Medical Officer.

As the 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 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. He will play a critical role in incorporating the latest advances in pediatric 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," said Peter Morris, Chief Executive Officer of Sidra.

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.

Speaking about his appointment, Dr. Ferguson said, "I am delighted to be appointed as the Chief Medical Officer at Sidra - 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 both Bendigo Health Care (1994-2004) and Ballarat Health Services (2004-2006).

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About Sidra Medical and Research Center
Sidra Medical and Research Center will be a groundbreaking hospital, research and education institution, focusing on the health and wellbeing of children and women regionally and globally.

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 a fully digital facility, incorporating the most advanced information technology applications in all its functions. Designed by renowned architect Cesar Pelli, Sidra features a main hospital building and a separate outpatient clinic. The main hospital will initially have 400 beds with infrastructure to enable expansion to 550 beds in a subsequent phase.

Sidra opened its Outpatient Clinic on 1 May 2016 which offers outpatient services for women and children through a referral based system in partnership with other healthcare providers in Qatar. More clinics and services will be rolled out over the course of 2016.

Sidra is also part of a dynamic research and education environment in Qatar and 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.

For more information please visit www.sidra.org.

For any media inquiries, please contact:
Farhana Coelho
T: (974) 44042176
M: (974) 74784648
E: fcoelho@sidra.org

The Communications Department
Sidra Medical and Research Center

© Press Release 2016