Assistant Managing Director-Operations & Clinical Affairs at PHCC, Dr Samya Abdulla
THE PENINSULA
DOHA: The Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) and Qatar University (QU) continue to strengthen their long-standing strategic partnership dedicated to developing a skilled, future-ready, and interprofessional health workforce for Qatar.
Through this collaboration, PHCC health centres serve as key clinical training hubs for QU students across a wide range of health professions, including medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, biomedical science, nutrition, physiotherapy, speech and language pathology, and public health. Recently, PHCC designated five of its health centres as official educational training sites for QU students, marking a significant milestone in the ongoing partnership
This initiative reflects PHCC’s commitment to fostering a culture of mentorship, knowledge exchange, and continuous learning within the primary healthcare system. It directly supports the Qatar National Vision 2030 by advancing academic medicine, enhancing the quality of primary care services, and building national capacity within the health sector.
At PHCC health centres, students train within interprofessional environments, applying theoretical knowledge to real clinical practice through structured, system-based modules. From cardiovascular and endocrine care to neuroscience, mental health, and family & community medicine, students gain meaningful hands-on experience that prepares them to become confident and competent health professionals.
The clinical placements are designed around clear educational outcomes, ensuring that students gain hands-on experience that enables them to observe and participate in patient care in real-world primary care settings; practice history taking and physical examination skills; collaborate effectively within interprofessional health teams; utilise digital health tools and interpret clinical data; and apply evidence based clinical judgments while navigating ethical considerations in patient care.
Beyond clinical learning, QU health profession students play an active role in community engagement initiatives hosted at the PHCC. These include preventive health campaigns such as Oral Health Month, student-led clinics, research collaborations, health literacy programmes, and structured clinical skills assessments, expanding their contributions from classroom learners to active participants in community health promotion.
PHCC faculty and clinicians serve as dedicated mentors, supported by teaching frameworks, competency-based evaluation tools, and structured feedback systems that ensure high-quality clinical education across all training sites.
“Our partnership with Qatar University reflects our deep commitment to nurturing the next generation of healthcare professionals,” said Assistant Managing Director-Operations & Clinical Affairs at PHCC, Dr Samya Abdulla. “By integrating academic excellence with real-world clinical practice, we are strengthening primary healthcare services and investing in a healthier future for our community.”
“This partnership stands as a model of how academic and clinical collaboration can transform health profession education,” said Vice President for Health and Medical Sciences at Qatar University, Professor Asmaa Al-Thani.
“By embedding our students in PHCC’s interprofessional primary care environment, we are equipping them with the skills, values, and interprofessional mindset needed to deliver person-centred care and drive Qatar’s health system towards the goals of Qatar National Vision 2030.”
This collaboration reinforces the collaborative vision of PHCC and Qatar University to advance academic medicine, support national workforce development, and promote excellence in primary healthcare services across Qatar.
