Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani during the opening of 5th Middle East Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare, at Qatar National Convention Center.
Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani yesterday officially opened The fifth Middle East Forum on Quality and Safety in Healthcare (ME Forum 2017).
The international quality improvement conference for healthcare professionals, was opened in the presence of Minister of Public Health H E Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari and dignitaries including representatives from Ministries of Health in the GCC states.
During the Forum, Dr Al Kuwari announced the launch of the Qatar Public Health Strategy 2017-2022 Consultation, a first-of-its-kind survey inviting feedback on public health issues in Qatar. Data from the survey will be used to inform the Qatar Public Health Strategy 2017-2022 prior to its formal launch later this year.
Organised by HMC and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), ME Forum 2017 saw greater involvement from other healthcare partners and a wider range of delegates, demonstrating the strategic importance placed by inter-professional groups on promoting quality and safety improvement in the region.
Dr Al Kuwari noted that the Forum’s focus this year aligned closely with the Ministry of Public Health’s efforts to transform and enhance its healthcare sector. She also outlined the quality improvement journey taken over the past five years since the first Middle East Forum was arranged.
“Our shared passion for excellence in healthcare is what unites us every day in the work that we do and keeps us coming back to this conference year upon year,” said Dr Al Kuwari.
“At the heart of everything we do needs to be a willingness to change and adapt, to learn new ways of working and aspire to be the very best for our patients. Participation in this Forum is a testimony to the value that so many healthcare professionals place in investing their time and effort to deliver better care to our patients,” Al Kuwari added.
Dr Al Kuwari also highlighted the developments and progress made across the public health system since the Forum’s first year. She noted that the ME Forum is a unique professional development opportunity for healthcare industry employees in the region who are driven by a desire for excellence in patient care.
She also noted that the clinical poster competition, being held as part of the Forum programme, was evidence of real progress in healthcare delivery improvement in the GCC.
Maureen Bisognano, President Emerita and Senior Fellow at IHI and a long-time associate of HMC, in her presentation, said, “There is a growing realisation that the successful health and healthcare systems of the future will be those that work simultaneously to enhance the experience of care that individuals receive, improving the health of populations, while also reducing the per capita costs of healthcare. Qatar has demonstrated its determination to optimize its healthcare system and support a sustainable framework that will ensure the continued delivery of high quality, affordable and accessible healthcare to future generations.”
Following the opening ceremony, the first plenary session featured IHI President and CEO, Derek Feeley, who described the importance of safety as a national priority for the Triple Aim. “The ‘Triple Aim’ framework serves as a foundation for organizations and communities around the world to successfully navigate the transition from a focus on healthcare to optimizing health for individuals and populations,” he said.
The three day ME Forum features a total of five plenary speakers and around 50 targeted presentations and interactive workshops, offering delegates valuable opportunities to pursue professional development by engaging with quality improvement experts and like-minded healthcare professionals from around the world.
Also the ME Forum is featuring the highly anticipated poster exhibition and competition, which is a key component of the quality improvement and safety programme.
