Doha, 17 March 2013: About 500 physicians recently gathered at the First Internal Medicine Conference held in Qatar, which offered the latest updates on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of medical conditions, featuring speakers from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Libya, Italy, France, United Kingdom and the USA.

The conference proved extremely popular with an excellent turnout not only from HMC but also Primary Health Centers and private hospitals in Qatar, as well as from other GCC countries, Egypt, Libya, Sudan, and the United Kingdom.

"The conference is in line with the vision of HMC for our transformation into an Academic Health System, through the integration of healthcare with education and research," said Dr. Abdel-Naser Elzouki, Chairman of the Organizing Committee and Head of HMC's General Internal Medicine Division, which organized the event. "It brings together physicians and experts from different parts of the world and facilitates the exchange of knowledge that will have a beneficial impact on patient care."

"It is a monumental endeavor and an accomplishment in advancing the standard of care for patients in Qatar, the Gulf and beyond. The First Qatar Conference of Internal Medicine offered physicians an intensive and exciting scientific program packed with the latest knowledge in a large number of topics of Internal Medicine," said Dr. Muna Al-Maslamani, President of the Conference and Acting Chairman of Medicine at HMC.

The successful three-day event included plenary lectures, mini-symposia, meet-the-expert sessions, case discussions, a debate session and 11 workshops, as well as a one-day postgraduate course on what clinicians should know about gastroenterology and liver disease in 2013. Topics revolved around the management of infectious diseases, hypertension and cardiovascular disease, liver and gastrointestinal problems, obesity, diabetes, asthma, thyroid disorders, osteoporosis, joint diseases, tuberculosis, kidney diseases, dementia, status epilepticus, and many other conditions.

Participants, through a number of workshops, also had the opportunity to learn from the best experts on how to produce quality research, how to convert their ideas into research and how to get their papers published in high-impact medical journals.

A poster exhibition was held concurrently with the event, where 34 hospital-based case studies were displayed, some of which featured rare conditions among patients at HMC. These case studies were chosen by a scientific committee among 46 submissions, and were being reported for the first time at the conference.

About 12 medical and pharmaceutical companies set up booths featuring the latest medications and medical instruments for the benefit of the participants. The Qatar Diabetes Association also had a booth at the exhibition to distribute educational materials on diabetes.

Dr. Elzouki added that there are plans to hold the event on a yearly basis.

-Ends-

About HMC:
Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) is the principal public healthcare provider for the State of Qatar. The Corporation manages eight hospitals along with further specialist clinical, educational and research facilities, and is growing in capacity each year around the diverse needs of the evolving population. HMC's ambition is to become an academic health system; a world leading center of excellence in clinical care, medical education and research that transforms into significant clinical advancements. 

HMC believes in excellence in healthcare, education and research with each supporting the other to provide world-class quality patient care in a safe and healing environment.

As well as four general hospitals situated in the most densely populated areas of Qatar, HMC also manages four specialist hospitals, looking after patients with the most prevalent conditions, including cancer, heart conditions, rehabilitation, and a hospital providing specialist treatment for women. HMC also operates the national Ambulance Service and a home healthcare service.

The Corporation was the first public healthcare system outside the United States to achieve Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation for all hospitals simultaneously. JCI accreditation is based on quality and safety across all clinical and management functions.

HMC is also the first hospital system in the Middle East to achieve institutional accreditation from the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education - International (ACGME-I), which demonstrates excellence in the way medical graduates are trained through residency, internship and fellowship programs.

www.hamad.qa

For more information, please contact:
Joan Pauline Acevedo at jacevedo@hmc.org.qa

Corporate Communications Department
Hamad Medical Corporation
Tel. No.: +974 4439 5272

© Press Release 2013