Doha: Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) continues to provide high quality audiology and optometry services in Qatar with the recent graduation of 38 newly-qualified students who completed different specialised diploma programmes in Clinical Audiology, Clinical Optometry and Auditory Verbal Therapy.
HMC held a ceremony at Hajar Auditorium to honour the cohort of graduates from the three programmes offered by the organisation which were developed in collaboration with the Canada-based University of Toronto. The initiative utilises the best minds from around the world to provide evidence-based continuing education to healthcare professionals, according to HMC press release.
"Our latest batch of graduates under the HMC-University of Toronto initiative demonstrates HMC’s continuing commitment towards building local capacity to deliver the highest standards of hearing healthcare in Qatar," said Dr. Khalid Abdul Hadi, programme Director and Head of HMC’s Audiology and Balance Centre, who spearheaded the Qatari-Canadian initiative in 2009 to meet the increasing demand for specialised hearing care in Qatar and the region.
Dr. Hadi is a hearing health expert who was responsible for developing the programme on universal newborn hearing screening that has been adopted by Qatar as a national health policy. Since its establishment in 2003, Qatar’s National programme for Early Detection of Hearing Loss has benefited thousands of children and helped ensure that those at risk of hearing disorders receive the care and support that they need from an early age.
In 2004, HMC established the Audiology and Balance Centre with different specialties for hearing and balance care.
In all, there are 15 Diploma in Clinical Audiology graduates; 14 Diploma in Auditory Verbal Therapy graduates; and nine Diploma in Clinical Optometry graduates. They comprise members of staff from HMC’s Audiology and Balance Unit and Ophthalmology Department, as well as candidates from within Qatar, the GCC and other Arab countries.
The graduation ceremony was attended by Dr. Abdullatif Al Khal, HMC’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Director of Medical Education; Dr. Nabila Al Tamimi, programme Director and Head of HMC’s Optometry Section; Dr. Vitaly Kisilevsky, Medical Director of Vestibular laboratories and Services at the University of Toronto; Adrian Norfolk, Canadian Ambassador to Qatar; and other dignitaries.
Dr. Arnold Noyek, Director of International Continuing Education at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine, conveyed his greetings to the audience via a video clip. "This is an amazing, remarkable achievement that demonstrates the innovative leadership of Dr. Hadi in delivering these educational activities for the immense benefit of Qatar’s population," said Dr. Noyek. He added that this is an ongoing mission that will contribute to the advancement of healthcare in the Gulf and beyond.
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