In Qatar, the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), and the Heidelberg University Hospital (HUH) hosted the first anniversary of the National Centre for Rare Diseases that was established in 2019. The National Centre for Rare Diseases is visited by people with rare diseases from the Middle Eastern countries. The centre offers clinical care to rare diseases patients, provides rare diseases education to clinicians, and is also engaged in research on rare diseases. The centre is benefits from multidisciplinary experts from both HMC and HUH, and is working to improve lives of people living with rare diseases. In addition to the establishment of the National Centre for Rare Diseases, HMC and HUH collaboration resulted also in the creation of a new HMC Medical Genetics Department, and in the set-up of a pioneering research project on Genomic Newborn Screening.
In Qatar, children with a rare genetic or metabolic disorder benefit from early diagnosis and access to treatment offered by the HMC, and also following the Qatar’s National Newborn Screening Program (QNSP) that has enabled, since 2003, the early diagnosis of 1,000 babies born with various diseases and disorders.
(source: OrphaNews May 29, 2020)