DOHA: Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) is planning to begin a screening programme for new-borns for genetic disorders, says a senior official.
Genetic New Born Screening Program will be implemented in partnership with the Heidelberg University Hospital, said Dr Saad Al Kaabi (pictured), Chairman of the International Medical Affairs Office at HMC. The new programme will be a part of ongoing collaboration between HMC and Heidelberg University Hospital, an internationally renowned clinical and research institution in Germany.
“The cooperation with Heidelberg in the field of oncology has opened the door to cooperation in other distinct areas. Perhaps the most prominent of these is the New-Born Screening Program, the early detection of newborns under the chairmanship of Dr Hilal Rifai. This program was created under the supervision of Prof. Hoffman, Chief of the Pediatrics at Heidelberg University Hospital,” Dr Al Kaabi told media.
“This programme, I can say, is considered one of the few successful programs in the world, and now we are also working with Heidelberg University Hospital to study plans for the application of Genetic New Born Screening Program,” he added.
HMC and Heidelberg University Hospital has a collaboration for more than 15 years. Many of HMC doctors and technicians have been trained at Heidelberg University Hospital.
Also the Heidelberg University Hospital has played an effective role in the establishment of the Radiation Therapy Department at HMC. It supported in including the planning of the department, the technical specifications of the buildings and the medical devices under the direct supervision of them under the direction of Professor Michael Wannenmacher and his team including the management and operation of the department until the hand over to the Qatari staff headed by Dr Nora Al Hammadi and her team, who was trained and qualified at Heidelberg to head this department and its management.
Also HMC and Heidelberg University Hospital, signed an agreement to enhance mutual collaborations in clinical, translational and basic research, during the first Doha–Heidelberg Research Conference, recently.
Experts from HMC and Heidelberg University Hospital in the fields of Gastro-Intestinal (GI) cancer, neuro-oncology, and hematological malignancies as well as pediatric cancers and genomic medicine in newborns presented their research results during this two-day conference. The conference brought together doctors, researchers and provided a platform to exchange knowledge and explore new opportunities of cooperation in both medical and research fields, said Dr Al Kaabi, who was also the Conference Organizing Committee Chairman.
