Healthcare framework to be launched in Qatar

In keeping with the initiatives set forth by Qatar National Vision 2030, a healthcare framework will be launched by the Qatar Council for Healthcare Practitioners (QCHP).

Dubbed the "National Continuing Medical Education/Continuing Professional Development Framework," the program will be focused on continued upgrades in Qatar's healthcare system. The development of the framework has been overseen by Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and expected to be operational by March 2016.

"The accreditation project, the Accreditation Department, and continuous medical education framework are among the many existing national health strategy projects," Dr. Samar Aboulsoud, CEO of the QCHP and manager of the Department of Accreditation and Health Profession Education, said. "These projects are included in Qatar's planning for the future and as such are directly related to the vision of the country's leadership."

The framework will not be based on coursework; rather, it will be built from members' input. A variety of workshops, training seminars and medical conferences will be offered throughout the program.

"Our No. 1 priority is our patients," Aboulsoud said. "We care for our patients, and as such, we care about the quality of care which they receive. At the heart of our system is a concept that we've embraced as both a department and as an accreditation system.

Aboulsoud then explained the approach of interprofessional education as well as how it will operate within the program.

"Interprofessional education is an approach to education in healthcare which promotes professionals to learn together interprofessionally. Rather than having a workshop that targets only one form of practitioner, interprofessional education is about providing a session of learning which collectively speaks to everyone at once."