Hamad Medical Corporation is the principal public healthcare provider in the State of Qatar, operating a network of 12 hospitals, multiple ambulatory care centers, and the national ambulance service. Established in 1979 by Emiri Decree, HMC delivers secondary and tertiary medical care to Qatar’s population, serving as both the healthcare safety net for residents and the apex referral center for complex medical cases. All HMC facilities maintain accreditation from the Joint Commission International (JCI), the global benchmark for healthcare quality and patient safety.
Hospital Network
HMC’s network encompasses general hospitals, specialized centers, and community hospitals distributed across Qatar. Hamad General Hospital, the corporation’s flagship facility, provides comprehensive emergency, surgical, and medical services. Specialized facilities include the Heart Hospital for cardiovascular care, the National Center for Cancer Care and Research, the Communicable Disease Center, and specialized rehabilitation and long-term care facilities. The Women’s Wellness and Research Center provides obstetric and gynecological services.
The network also includes community hospitals in Al Wakra, Al Khor, and other population centers outside central Doha, reducing the need for patients to travel to the capital for secondary-level care. This geographic distribution of services improves access to healthcare across Qatar’s territory.
Emergency and Pre-Hospital Services
HMC operates the national ambulance service, providing emergency pre-hospital care and patient transport across Qatar. The ambulance service coordinates with hospital emergency departments to ensure seamless transitions from scene to definitive care. The corporation also operates the national trauma system, which manages the response to severe injuries through a coordinated network of trauma centers.
Medical Education and Training
HMC serves as the primary clinical training site for medical students, residents, and allied health professionals in Qatar. The corporation’s affiliation with Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar and other medical education programs provides clinical placements where trainees develop clinical competencies under the supervision of HMC’s medical staff. The corporation operates graduate medical education programs accredited by international bodies, training specialists across a range of medical disciplines.
This educational function is critical to Qatar’s human development objectives. By training healthcare professionals domestically, HMC reduces dependence on imported medical expertise and builds a sustainable healthcare workforce for the future.
Research
HMC conducts clinical and translational research across its hospital network, contributing to medical knowledge and improving patient care. Research programs span areas including trauma care, cardiovascular disease, diabetes management, infectious disease, and population health. The corporation collaborates with academic institutions, Qatar Foundation entities, and international research networks to advance evidence-based medical practice.
Quality and Accreditation
JCI accreditation across all HMC facilities represents a sustained commitment to international healthcare quality standards. JCI accreditation requires compliance with rigorous standards for patient care, medication management, infection control, governance, and facility management, with regular re-accreditation surveys ensuring ongoing compliance. This accreditation positions HMC among a select group of healthcare systems in the region that have achieved system-wide international quality certification.
Role in Qatar National Vision 2030
HMC is the institutional foundation of QNV 2030’s social development pillar as it relates to healthcare. The National Vision calls for a world-class healthcare system that provides comprehensive, accessible, and high-quality medical services to all residents. HMC is the primary vehicle for delivering on that commitment, absorbing the majority of public healthcare demand and setting the quality standards against which the entire health system is measured.
HMC also supports the human development pillar through its medical education programs and the environmental development pillar through healthcare responses to environmental health challenges including heat-related illness, air quality, and occupational health.
Strategic Outlook
HMC faces the ongoing challenges of managing healthcare demand growth driven by population expansion, addressing the rising burden of non-communicable diseases including diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and maintaining quality standards as the network scales. The corporation’s ability to integrate digital health technologies, develop specialty centers of excellence, and train a sustainable healthcare workforce will determine its capacity to deliver on the healthcare ambitions of QNV 2030.