Al-Ahli Hospital Award for Arab Pioneers in Medicine

Al-Ahli Hospital (Doha, Qatar) continues to take the lead in initiatives aimed at developing medical work and promoting a culture of health. In this context, a committee was formed to establish and grant the Al-Ahli Award, which was founded in December 2022. The administrative body was formed and its functioning terms of reference (TORs) were put in place to achieve the optimal goal of its establishment. The award is granted to an Arab doctor who has had a distinguished professional career anywhere in the world. The duties of the committee were reviewed in December 2023. With this initiative, Al-Ahli Hospital has, once again, demonstrated that health is always a priority and that medicine is a mission, not just a profession within the walls of a medical institution, but extends to the realms of development and quality of practice. The award is set to become an annual tradition, recognizing the contributions and outstanding achievements of successful individuals in the field of medicine.

The Executive Management of Al-Ahli Hospital recognizes the value of acknowledging the achievements of Arab pioneers in medicine and their impact on patient care and humanity. As an expression in this belief, the management announced the establishment of the Al-Ahli Award Committee. The committee adheres to a set of clear principles that are based on complete neutrality, high professionalism, and absolute transparency. The committee operates independently and its decisions are final, without any recourse to other parties; including management. The committee is formed independently by the hospital’s Executive Management, and its chairman and members are nominated from experienced medical and administrative professionals who possess extensive expertise and high professionalism.

The committee’s chairman and members are responsible for implementing its TORs to help them achieve their goal. The committee anticipates and formulates relevant policies and procedures, including the operations of the award committee, such as application methods and nominations by peers or other means, such as public nominations. The procedures also encompass the decision-making process, the type of award, and its value.

It is worth mentioning in this context that the formation and operation of the Al-Ahli Award Committee, while taking the hospital’s medical and administrative regulations, policies, and procedures as reference to ensure accuracy and quality; it also ensures its alignment with Qatari laws to avoid any contradiction.

The importance of the award, its purpose and to whom is it granted to?

First, it is important to note that the significance of this initiative lies in being the first of its kind within the private sector in the GCC. Recognition is given to a doctor who has dedicated decades of time and effort to his/her patients, has devoted efforts towards providing treatment or innovation in the field of medicine or both; all based on a humanitarian perspective. The award honors this category of doctors for the sacrifices they have made for humanity. “And whoever saves one life, it is as if he has saved all of mankind” (Quran 5:32). The aim of the award, with its material and moral value, is to inspire others to do more in order to have a chance at such distinction in future endeavors.

The award shall be granted annually at an official ceremony to be held in the beginning of the second quarter (April-May) of each year. The ceremony shall be attended by distinguished invitees, including ministers, deputies, ambassadors, and leaders in the medical sector, in addition to prominent figures with related interests.

The award committee establishes criteria for selecting the appropriate candidate (the nominated doctor) for the honor. The most important of these criteria is that the candidate should be an Arab doctor who has had a long and pioneering career in the field of medicine and patient health, achieving notable successes and accomplishments in this regard, with no distinction whether the candidate’s work is within the Arab world or anywhere else in the world. The value of the award is US$100,000.00 that the winner receives, in addition to a commemorative shield and a certificate of appreciation.

As mentioned earlier, the awarding committee is appointed by the Executive Management and is currently composed of Dr. El-Fadil El-Malik as the Chairman, Dr. Loui Al-Fakhri as representative of the management, Dr. Yousef Matani as coordinating author, Dr. Jamal Abood as Medical Administrator in charge, and Mr. Mohammed Charaneck as Manager of Business Development and Marketing. In addition, Prof. Amir Salim Al-Din, Dr. Mohammed Omar Salem, Dr. Mohammed Al-Rishi, and Dr. Nabil Issa (guest) serve as members. The rules of association of the committee stipulate that all members must attend meetings unless officially excused for a specific reason, and permanent delegation of membership is not allowed.

The award committee formation and its TORs

Before granting and launching the award (beginning of April of the current year 2024), Al-Ahli Hospital will publish a reference document outlining the formation of the committee and it’s TORs on its website. This document will include the number of committee meetings, their frequency, the roles of the chairperson, vice chairman, representative of business development and marketing, and other core members.

The TORs of the committee will detail the nomination and selection process, criteria for voting, and decision-making steps, ensuring independence, high professionalism, and absolute transparency.

It is worth mentioning that the Al-Ahli Award Committee is an environmentally-friendly committee and will encourage, accept, and utilize electronic communication, recordings, documents, and storage when necessary. Confidentiality and security issues are of utmost importance to the committee. The established practices and documentation used at Al-Ahli Hospital will be strictly adhered to. 

The Chairman of the Al-Ahli Award Committee, along with the medical administration staff, committee members, Chief Medical Officer, Director of Nursing, heads of clinical departments, heads of medical/health support departments, and heads of other administrative departments including auditing, information technology, patient services, as well as heads and members of other committees, are all – as applicable – responsible for coordination, monitoring, and the implementation of the provisions of the said TORs. They and their immediate family members are not allowed to participate or nominate themselves to the award. The committee’s responsibilities are reviewed on an annual basis, while its effectiveness is evaluated on a monthly basis.

As for Al-Ahli Hospital, it is a renowned healthcare institution with 19 years of legacy in successful healthcare delivery, granting it the honor to recognize pioneering doctors and the responsibility to remain a leader in this sector for the betterment and health of individuals and the community at large.

The process of selecting the winner and how to be nominated for the award?

While the award, in its first year (2024), follows a methodology and process detailed in the TORs which shall be announced on Al-Ahli Hospital’s website, the winner of the award for future years, as explained by Prof. El-Fadil El-Malik, chairman of the committee, shall be selected through nominations of (and by) any individual who meets the minimum criteria which are stipulated within the TORs of the committee.