HMC wins Platinum Award for Patient-Centred Care, ranks first in Arab world

# What happened

Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) was awarded the Platinum Award for Patient-Centred Care at the 7th Gold Initiative Certificate Awards, organised by the Arab Hospitals Federation under the theme "Pioneers of Arab Healthcare Excellence." HMC received the highest evaluation among participating healthcare institutions and was ranked first in the Arab world for healthcare and patient experience.

# How the award was judged

The awards programme attracted 332 submissions. Participating institutions were assessed against regional and international standards through an evaluation process conducted in collaboration with the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), the Beryl Institute and the Global Healthcare Travel Council.

# What HMC highlighted in its entry

HMC's submission documented several established patient-centred services and innovations:

• Patient and Family Advisory Council with 80 members who take part in service design, policy development and recruitment.
• Lbaih mobile application, which HMC reports has recorded more than 400,000 downloads.
• Specialist helplines that provide more than one million consultations each year.
• Virtual reality programmes for children undergoing surgery, which HMC says reduced anxiety by around 60% and achieved 100% family satisfaction in reported measures.

# Who accepted the award

The award was presented to Dr Khalid Mohammed Al Jalham, Chief Medical Officer at HMC. Present at the ceremony were Nasser Al Naimi, Chief Executive Officer of Patient Experience and Director of the Hamad Healthcare Quality Institute, and Dr Jamila Al Ajami, Chief Executive Officer of Quality and Patient Safety.

# What HMC's leaders said

HMC leaders framed the recognition as confirmation of the organisation's emphasis on placing patients and their families at the centre of care and on keeping them active partners through the healthcare journey. They indicated plans to continue expanding opportunities for patient and family involvement in service improvement.

# How the region reacted

Federation described HMC's achievement as a benchmark for the region, noting HMC achieved the highest score among finalists in the patient-centred care and experience category.

# What this means in practice

For patients and family members in Qatar and the region, the award signals that HMC has documented processes and tools intended to shape care delivery around patient needs: advisory councils, digital access points, high-volume helplines and child-focused anxiety-reduction technology. The award also reflects external assessment against international partners and standards, which may affect how HMC prioritises further service design and quality work.

# Bottom line

HMC has been formally recognised at a regional awards programme for the highest level of patient-centred care. The corporation points to specific programmes and measurable outcomes in its submission, and senior leaders say the organisation will build on patient and family involvement as part of ongoing quality improvement.