Doha, 27 January 2011: Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) in collaboration with Pfizer will be conducting an International Conference on Harmonization-Good Clinical Practice (ICH-GCP) course on January 27. Themed "Creating a Culture of Research", the course on the international standard for clinical trials is organized by HMC's Medical Research Center as part of its efforts to implement the highest quality and safety standards for medical research within the organization.

"HMC is committed to implementing the strictest standards that will ensure the rights, safety and well-being of people participating in research studies are protected, and that clinical trials conducted within HMC are consistent with the highest ethical and scientific principles of human research," said Dr Al Hareth Al-Khater, chairman of the Medical Research Center.

The course will comprise lectures and exercises on evidence-based medicine - the drug development process, aspects of planning and preparation for clinical trials, recruitment and enrollment strategies, in-trial procedures, and safety and quality in clinical trials.

Clinical trials are conducted to assess the safety and efficacy of health interventions such as drugs, diagnostics, devices or therapy protocols for patients, and are crucial to the advancement of medical science. The ICH-GCP is an international ethical and scientific quality standard for designing, conducting, recording and reporting trials that involve the participation of human subjects.

The ICH-GCP standard is consistent with the Declaration of Helsinki, a document developed by the World Medical Association as a set of ethical principles for the medical community regarding human experimentation. Compliance with the standard provides public assurance that the data and reported results are credible and accurate, and that the rights, integrity, and confidentiality of trial subjects are protected.

"Our partnership with reputable organizations such as Pfizer, a global, research-based pharmaceutical company, in conducting this educational initiative for our research staff supports our strategy to promote medical research as an integral part of the clinical services that HMC provides," added Dr Al-Khater.

HMC provides 90 percent of healthcare in Qatar, placing the organization in an extremely unique position in regard to the conduct of clinical research. As the overall governing and funding body for medical research at HMC, the Medical Research Center receives hundreds of research proposals a year. A number of its research projects are funded through the Qatar National Research Fund.

"Pfizer's partnership with HMC on this program underscores the necessity and importance of building the potential for clinical research in Qatar.  Being able to generate local data is a cornerstone to guide us to the most appropriate decision for each and every patient and can contribute to the setting of local treatment guidelines, thereby providing patients with better healthcare," said Dr. Yasser El Dershaby, Medical Director, Pfizer Gulf. "We are very pleased to be working with HMC to help advance medical research in Qatar," he added.

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About HMC:
Hamad Medical Corporation is the premier non-profit health care provider in Doha, Qatar.  It was established by Emiri decree in 1979 and manages five highly specialized hospitals, namely, Hamad General Hospital, Rumailah Hospital, Women's Hospital, Al Amal Hospital and Al Khor Hospital.  Since its establishment, HMC has rapidly developed medical facilities capable of providing state-of-the-art diagnosis and treatment of diseases that previously could only be managed in overseas medical centers.

HMC prides itself in providing quality and cost efficient health care for all patients regardless of nationality, in line with the State of Qatar's pledge of "Health for All".  For this purpose, the Corporation implements a policy of continuous improvement of all management systems and patient care protocols. HMC's ethos is based on three key pillars which are Health, Education and Research. 

For more information, please contact:
Marketing and Public Relations Department
Hamad Medical Corporation
Tel. No.: +974 4439 6126
Fax No.: +974 4439 5002
www.hmc.org.qa

© Press Release 2011