DOHA: Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has received its third consecutive Cityscape Qatar award in the Culture and Community Project category following Qatar’s Biobank accolade at Cityscape Qatar 2014.
Considered one of the region’s leading real estate exhibitions and conferences, Cityscape Qatar has honoured HMC projects for the past three years, with the medical organisation receiving Community and Culture Project awards for its PET CT Center (2012) and Skilled Nursing Facility (2013).
The award from Cityscape Qatar 2014 recognises not only the architectural importance of the physical building that will eventually house an expanded Qatar Biobank, due to open later in the year, but also the positive impact the Biobank has had within the community as it continues to build a database of medical knowledge and research gathered from the local population.
Located at Hamad bin Khalifa Medical City, the Qatar Biobank is a Qatar Foundation initiative in partnership with HMC and the Supreme Council of Health. The biomedical research laboratory undertakes scientific and medical studies of Qatari nationals and long-term residents with the aim of improving the health and lifestyles of the current and future generations.
Amr Metwally, head of HMC’s Architecture Division PMC, collected the award on behalf of the organisation’s Chief of Facilities and Workforce Development, Hamad Nasser Abdulla Al Khalifa.
“Cityscape Qatar has recognised a number of HMC projects over the past few years, and we are proud to again be recognised for our part in developing Qatar Biobank, which is an important initiative for Qatar,” said Al Khalifa.
Qatar Biobank will potentially be one of the most important research centres in the country, opening up new prospects in scientific and medical research with the hope of providing biomedical researchers with data on factors that predispose the population of Qatar and other GCC countries to certain diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular problems and cancer.
The Biobank also supports the discovery and development of new technologies, medicines and interventions to improve healthcare in Qatar and other countries.
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