Tribune News Network

Doha

The residency training programme at Hamad Medical Corporation’s Department of Dermatology and Venereology has been accredited by the international arm of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

This is the first time the Department of Dermatology and Venereology programme has received this prestigious accreditation from ACGME, which accredits US-based hospitals and medical centres to ensure the highest standard of training for doctors in their residency and fellowship years. The ACGME-I accredits international hospitals and medical centres using the same rigorous standards.

Prof Martin Steinhoff, chairman of the Department of Dermatology and Venerology, and Residency Programme director, said: "Receiving this important accreditation is testament to the hard work of everyone within the Department of Dermatology and Venereology and confirms that our residency programme meets the highest and most rigorous international standards for physicians’ specialty training.”

In 2012, HMC became the first healthcare system in the region to achieve institutional accreditation by ACGME International and only the second country in the world outside of the US. To date, 19 of HMC’s medical residency training programmes and 11 fellowships have successfully achieved ACGME-I programme accreditation.

Dr Abdullatif Al Khal, deputy chief medical officer and director of the Department of Medical Education, said: "HMC is proud if its long history of accreditation by ACGME-I and I congratulate Professor Steinhoff, Dr Aycha Al Malki, and everyone who has contributed to this achievement by the Department of Dermatology and Venereology. This accreditation will help the residency programme continue to attract the best medical graduates and deliver highly-trained and competent future specialists whom we can all be proud of.”