Qatar probes frontiers of science

The programme is one of a series of regional firsts - including a centre for robotic surgery - being undertaken by the State of Qatar as it stakes its claim as a leading hub for quality medical research, healthcare training and clinical practice.

Spearheaded by the Qatar Ministry of Health, a consortium of institutions with overlapping missions in medical education, research and healthcare, are mounting the biggest pavilion of any Arabian Gulf country at this week's Arab Health under the communal banner of Leading the Change.

Details of the biomedical research programme targeting the big Gulf diseases of diabetes, heart disorder and cancer along with the launch of a regional centre for robotic surgery which has already carried out its first operations, were outlined at a Press conference at Arab Health.

Qatar, rich in gas reserves, is investing in future generations of surgeons, doctors, nurses, pharmacists and health scientists recruited regionally to deliver a knowledge based economy for the long term. Education and healthcare are the key pillars of the strategy, a consortium spokesperson said.

Details of further groundbreaking initiatives in Qatar's Leading the Change strategy will be revealed during the course of this week's Arab Health.

Taking part in Arab Health to explain their contribution are: Hamad Medical Corporation, which delivers healthcare in Qatar through five hospitals and an emergency medical service; Aspetar, the Qatar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, the region's first of its kind; Qatar University, which has announced Qatar's first and the region's latest College of Pharmacy; University of Calgary Qatar, a research-intensive institution for nurse education; College of the North Atlantic Qatar, which offers specialist training in health professions; Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, the first US University to offers its medical doctorate degree overseas; Qatar Science and Technology Park, home to universities and companies from around the world; and the Qatar Diabetes Association.

For more details of Qatar's Leading the Change strategy, please visit the Qatar Pavilion at Arab Health in the Zabeel Hall, (stand ZW20) Dubai International Exhibition and Convention Centre from 26-29 January 2009.