Qatar’s healthcare sector is expanding its use of digital technologies and smart healthcare solutions as part of efforts to develop laboratory diagnostics, genetic testing and precision medicine.
Hamad Medical Corporation uses advanced digital systems to manage laboratory operations and electronically connect testing equipment with patients’ medical records.
These systems allow results to be delivered securely and more quickly while supporting higher levels of accuracy, quality and operational efficiency.
The development aligns with Qatar National Vision 2030 and its goal of building an integrated healthcare system based on innovation, data and modern technologies.
Dr Einas Al Kuwari, Chair of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at HMC, said the department had achieved significant advances through new services, digital transformation and continued growth in diagnostic capacity.
HMC laboratories conduct more than 20 million tests each year, including approximately 153,000 genetic tests performed by the Genetic Diagnostic Laboratory.
The tests cover inherited conditions and genetic changes associated with blood cancers, lymphomas and other diseases, as well as screening programmes for couples preparing for marriage and newborn babies.
As part of its precision medicine services, the department has introduced clinical whole-exome sequencing within the laboratory for the first time.
It has also introduced pharmacogenomic testing and examinations related to blood-clotting disorders, supporting diagnosis and treatment based on the individual needs of each patient.
In blood transfusion services, HMC has achieved self-sufficiency in blood and blood components with the support of donors.
Eleven sites across the corporation have also received international accreditation.
The department has introduced the use of low-titre group O whole blood for critically injured patients, allowing rapid and comprehensive treatment in severe bleeding cases.
HMC has also introduced technology that allows red blood cell units from rare blood groups to be frozen and preserved for up to 30 years, improving preparedness for complex and uncommon cases.
Qatar’s only histocompatibility laboratory continues to support kidney and bone marrow transplant procedures using technologies designed to reduce the risk of immune rejection and improve success rates.
Its services include cell-free DNA testing and immune cell function testing, which support the close monitoring of organ transplant patients.
The Cell Therapy Laboratory continues to provide bone marrow transplantation using stem cells for adult cancer patients, recording a 19 percent increase in workload compared with the previous year.
Advanced clinical biochemistry services have also been introduced, including therapeutic drug monitoring and apolipoprotein(a) testing to support the early diagnosis of cardiovascular disease.
Testing for zinc levels and pre-eclampsia indicators has been expanded, while new devices have been introduced to detect respiratory viruses using polymerase chain reaction technology.
The anatomical pathology laboratory receives more than 60,000 samples annually, with cancerous or potentially malignant cases accounting for around 13 percent.
The microbiology section is also supporting efforts to address antimicrobial resistance through national antibiograms, the One Health approach, diagnostic stewardship and infection-control programmes.
In medical education, the department organised Qatar’s first pathology conference and was approved as an examination centre for the Fellowship of the Royal College of Pathologists.
Postgraduate and specialist fellowship programmes have also received accreditation, alongside expanded academic cooperation with Qatar University.
Dr Al Kuwari said the achievements represent a strategic shift towards building a smart national laboratory system based on innovation and technology.
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