Doha, Qatar (04 September 2013) – The Executive Office of Health Ministers Council for the Gulf Countries Council (Arab Gulf States) has adopted Aspetar, Qatar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, as a reference collaborator with the Executive Office. This agreement was reached during a meeting of the Council of Health Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which was held recently in Geneva on the side-lines of the General Assembly of the World Health Organization. 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. Dr Khalifa Al Kuwari, Chief Executive Officer at Aspetar, said,

“Aspetar is honoured to now be considered a Gulf Reference Centre by the Health Ministers Council. 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”.

Dr Hakim Chalabi, Acting Chief Medical Officer and Executive Director of the National Sports Medicine Programme (NSMP) at Aspetar, 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.”. 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. Commenting on the announcement, Dr Philippe Landreau, Chief of Surgery at Aspetar said,

“The hospital meets international standards in its treatment of orthopaedic problems and athletic injuries and uses established best practices and the latest technology to guide patients through rehabilitation to complete recovery”.

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. The Executive Board comprises representative members from all the Council States, and each state is awarded one vote headed by the Director General, Professor Tawfik A M Khoja. As part of its commitment to spearheading innovation and research in global sports medicine, Aspetar has been making impressive strides. The hospital previewed its research findings at Bayt Qatar during the 2012 London Olympics to hundreds of sports medicine specialists. Aspetar also participates in numerous international conferences such as the reputable Leaders in Performance as well as host conferences of their own. Along with launching ground-breaking projects such as ASPREV, the Aspetar Sport Injury & Illness Prevention Program aimed at developing research and education that will guide clinical practices around the world, Aspetar continues to strive to improve the field of sports medicine in the region. Aspetar’s international reputation as a global centre of excellence for sports medicine continues to grow as it fulfils the strategic objectives on which it was founded. These include a commitment to continuing its pursuit of a culture of excellence, building and sustaining a high performance sports culture, providing leadership in the sphere of sports medicine, and promoting a healthy lifestyle within the community, while ensuring that its strategy is guided by financial prudence. The Health Ministers Council specifies the need for a financially independent hospital that enjoys a clear vision and a timetable that can accommodate various activities and programmes. Aspetar is a world-leading specialised orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital based in Doha, Qatar, and the first of its kind in the Middle East. Since 2007, the hospital has provided top-level comprehensive medical treatment to visiting athletes in a state-of-the art facility that sets new standards internationally. In 2009, Aspetar was officially accredited as a FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence (F-MARC). Aspetar is a member–organisation of Aspire Zone Foundation, Qatar’s innovative sports and healthy lifestyle destination.