Aspetar Gets GCC Recognition
DOHA: Aspetar, Qatar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, has been recognised as a reference collaborator by the Office of Health Ministers Council for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
As the first Sports Medicine Hospital to be adopted by the Gulf Reference Centre, Aspetar will be expected to provide scientific support, technical advice and guidance on research and training to the Executive Board of the Health Ministers Council.
This agreement was reached during a meeting of the Council of Health Ministers of the GCC, which was held recently in Geneva on the sidelines of the General Assembly of the World Health Organisation.
Chief Executive Officer at Aspetar, Dr Khalifa Al Kuwari, said: “We share many of the same objectives for the region and are looking forward to working together along with the other five centres and the Health Ministers Council in integrating and realising our mutual vision.” Aspetar has been confirmed as a Gulf Reference Centre after fulfilling all the conditions set by the Gulf Cooperation Council with regards to scientific and technical standards, locally and regionally, and its enhancement of health programmes in Qatar and the other GCC countries.
Acting Chief Medical Officer and Executive Director of the National Sports Medicine Programme (NSMP) at Aspetar, Dr Hakim Chalabi said, “Aspetar is a world-class facility that accesses the latest investigative technology to ensure that our sports medicine care is truly multidisciplinary, and we are very pleased that the GCC Executive Board has recognised the great strides we have made in advancing sports medicine in the region.”
“Our team are international experts in the fields of sports medicine, surgery, rehabilitation, nutrition, psychology, physiology, podiatry and biomechanics,” he continued. “This broad skills set, combined with our utilising of state-of-the-art equipment, allows us to offer athletes the very best medical care.”
The GCC Executive Board of Health Ministers Council acknowledged the superior capabilities offered by Aspetar following the extensive modernisation that it recently underwent, with the addition of state-of-the-art equipment and highly trained technicians in order to conduct detailed research and training, and provide advice while raising the bar in the fields of medicine and science across the Gulf region.
The Health Ministers Council of the Arab Countries in the Gulf is represented by seven countries: The United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Yemen. The Council aims at unifying the efforts of its members in developing health services in various fields for the citizens of the Council members.