HMC’s national diabetes centres sixth in world to get prestigious JCI certification
HAMAD Medical Corporation’s (HMC) national diabetes centres have become the first in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, and the sixth in the world to be awarded the Joint Commission International’s (JCI) Clinical Care Program Certification (CCPC) for its diabetes mellitus care programmes.
“The JCI CCPC designation is awarded in recognition of meeting rigorous standards of patient care and safety. This distinction is the culmination of several years of preparation on the part of our teams. It demonstrates our deep commitment to high-quality care and a culture of safety for patients, visitors and staff. It tells patients that our diabetes programme met, or surpassed, strict criteria related to patient safety, delivery of clinical care, and overall patient support”, said Professor Abdul-Badi Abou-Samra, director of Qatar Metabolic Institute (QMI) and chairman of Internal Medicine at HMC.
“JCI is the world’s largest international organisation that collaborates with medical institutions to improve patient safety and healthcare quality through education initiatives, publications, advisory services and international accreditation and certification. JCI accreditation is regarded as the Gold Standard in the healthcare sector”, noted Professor Abou-Samra.
“A team of physicians, nurses, diabetes educators, dietitians, podiatrists, pharmacists and administrators worked together to develop a diabetes care pathway under the mission ‘to prevent diabetes complications and enable diabetic patients to lead a normal life’, and the vision ‘to be recognised regionally and internationally for excellence in diabetes management”, he added.
HMC’s national diabetes centres, located at Hamad General Hospital, Al Wakra Hospital and the Women’s Wellness and Research Center, receive more than 120,000 patient visits annually from over 30,000 patients.
Dr Mahmoud Zirie, senior consultant and head of the Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism Department at Hamad General Hospital and Dr Mohamed Bashir, senior consultant and director of the Diabetes in Pregnancy Program at the Women’s Wellness
and Research Center said the National Diabetes Centers were designed to serve as ‘one-stop-shops’ in which patients can speak with specialist healthcare professionals and get access to individualised treatment.
“We provide health education, medication, and equipment, as required. We offer individualised treatment plans built around a patient’s specific needs”, said Dr Zirie.
Dr Khaled Dukhan, senior consultant and director of the diabetes care programme at Al Wakra Hospital and Dr Dabia al Muhannadi, director of the Diabetes and Technology Unit of QMI said the certification improves HMC’s ability to care for patients with diabetes.