Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) recently organised a workshop entitled "Empowerment Towards Safe Leadership in Professional Practice" for medical directors.
Assistant Undersecretary for Healthcare Regulatory Affairs at MOPH, Dr Ghanim Ali Al Mannai stated: "The Ministry continues to uphold principles of quality and professional accountability, ensuring safe medical practice in order to foster an integrated and sustainable health system that serves all groups across society."
Dr Al Mannai emphasised the Ministry's significant commitment to developing medical directors' capabilities, considering it an essential step towards enhancing healthcare quality, ensuring patient safety, and fostering a culture of safe leadership within professional practice.
He commended the pivotal role of medical directors in building an integrated health system that achieves quality and safety by supervising clinical performance, ensuring the application of approved procedures, and promoting clinical governance.
He indicated that empowering medical directors requires high levels of competence and effectiveness, with the role extending to enhancing performance, participating in continuing medical education and accreditation programmes to ensure the adoption of best professional and ethical practices.
Dr Al-Mannai reinforced the Ministry's dedication to developing and enhancing the leadership capacities of medical directors, particularly as enlightened and responsible health leadership represents a cornerstone for ensuring a safe and effective healthcare environment.
Assistant Director of the Health Professions Department at the MOPH, Masouma Fadel Sada stated in her opening remarks at the workshop: "The Ministry's efforts contribute to embedding safe leadership concepts within healthcare institutions, as part of a range of initiatives aimed at empowering medical and administrative staff to ensure the quality of services and patient safety."
She highlighted that holding the workshop under the theme "Empowerment Towards Safe Leadership in Professional Practice" reflects the Ministry's commitment to supporting and empowering medical directors in their vital role in elevating the healthcare system.
She confirmed that the medical director is the cornerstone in ensuring safe medical practice and the implementation of approved policies and procedures.
Sada stressed that the medical director is a key partner in ensuring sound medical documentation and overseeing the management of complaints and health disputes within the facility.
Moreover, strengthening the role of the medical director and building their capacities is an essential step to improving patient outcomes, boosting preventative measures, and realising the optimal use of available health resources within the institution.
She emphasised the value of exchanging experiences and discussing challenges during the workshop to enhance performance, improve the efficiency of the health system, and entrench a patient safety culture as a top priority for all healthcare practitioners.
The workshop reviewed the tasks, responsibilities, and authorities of medical directors within health facilities, as well as the implementation of national legislation regulating health professions. The evolution of Qatar's health sector was also discussed, in line with Qatar National Vision 2030 and the National Health Strategy (2024-2030), which aim to boost the health system's efficiency and sustainability.
Additionally, the workshop addressed the legal and regulatory framework for practising health professions, policies for assessing practitioners' fitness as they age, mechanisms for handling complaints and health disputes, and the optimal use of human and material resources within institutions.
A panel discussion was held during the workshop, where attendees shared experiences and highlighted successful examples of effective medical administration.
This contributed to the development of the healthcare working environment, the promotion of patient safety, and improvements in service quality.
The workshop concluded with a Q&A session to further clarify strategic approaches and enhance interaction concerning safe leadership in professional practice.
