Qatar: Medical professionals to undergo screening
The Ministry of Health
has introduced more stringent procedures for checking the credentials of foreign health care professionals seeking a licence to practice in the country.
The credentials of all foreign health care workers who apply for a licence will now be scrutinised by an international company specialising in this field to prevent fraudulent medical practitioners from operating in the country.
The ministry yesterday signed an agreement with DataFlow, a leading international document verification and screening company, for this purpose.
“This agreement is part of a major new initiative by the ministry to improve its checking process for health professionals,” said Dr Faleh Mohamed Ali, Acting Assistant Minister for Policy Affairs.
He said the “new initiative - MedCheck - will ensure that the process is completed as accurately and efficiently as possible”.
The MedCheck programme seeks to ensure that the public is protected from unqualified and fraudulent health care workers, in line with the best international practices.
“This agreement reflects the ministry’s vision to build an efficiently regulated professional workforce in Qatar,” Faleh Mohamed said.
Under the scheme, when a health professional applies for a licence, the applicant’s medical qualification, licence and work experience will be checked and verified within 30 days, thereby allowing swift processing of the licence application.
DataFlow’s local director, Paul Kane, said: “Fraudulent medical qualifications pose a serious threat to public health and safety in many parts of the world, with unqualified and inexperienced doctors and nurses causing a huge amount of damage to patients and to confidence in the system. By outsourcing and enhancing the process, Qatar proves once again that it is one of the most forward thinking nations in the world.”
DataFlow is a leading provider of document verification and screening services, with 13 offices worldwide. DataFlow will be based in the headquarters of the Ministry of Health and its services will be available for all health organisations in Qatar to screen all medical staff.
Headquartered in Singapore, DataFlow provides international screening and risk data to the public and private sectors. It has 370 analysts in 13 locations across the world.
The company recently signed agreements in Saudi Arabia with the Saudi Council for Health Specialties and Saudi Council for Engineers and in the United Arab Emirates with the Health Authority of Abu Dhabi
MOHAMMED IQBAL
© The Peninsula 2009
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