International Advances: What is John Wedge Up to Now?
John Wedge
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The international program of
The Hospital for Sick Children
packages and exports expertise
developed at HSC for
the benefit of children worldwide.
The program currently
includes: advising on a project
to bring three children's hospitals
together into one institution
in Dublin, educating nurses in
Ghana, developing and administrating
a telehealth program in the Caribbean, breaking
ground for a new hospital in Mumbai, and completing
an ambitious program in Qatar in the Arabian Peninsula.
The international program is well exemplified by the
Qatar Project, which has been under way since 2004.
Since completing his term as chairman of the Department
of Surgery, pediatric orthopedic surgeon John Wedge has
been chairing Sick Kids International Advisory Board.
Using the expertise and brand of the Hospital for Sick
Children, John, Cathy Seguin and their colleagues have
been advising on the building of a 180 bed Children's
Hospital in Qatar, which will open in 2012.
In addition, John continues a busy surgical practice
treating complex hip problems in children and lecturing
internationally. He has been in Qatar 13 times over
the last 6 years, generally staying two to fourteen days,
depending on the mission. He is coordinating the development
of the Operating Room, Imaging Suite, and
Rehabilitation Program, based on designs at HSC and
Bloorview Kids Rehab in Toronto. The new hospital has
been designed by world class architects as have many of
the buildings in Doha.
 The Hamid Childrens Hospital in Doha |
A medical school has been built by the government
in collaboration with the Hamad Medical Centre. It
graduated its first class of students in a joint venture
with the Weill Cornell Medical School in New York
City. A very progressive Emir, Amir Hamad bin Khalifa
al-Thani, is focusing the wealth of Qatar on education
and research. The collaboration with The Hospital for
Sick Children is managed by an advisory committee
chaired by John and comprised of leaders in the administration
of HSC.
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The goal of the program is to develop the infrastructure
and staff from the people of Qatar and to sustain the success
of the enterprise through a continuing relationship
with The Hospital for Sick Children. Revenue generated
through the project will be used to offset the cost of
humanitarian activities of the hospital, maintaining a
neutral budget rather than making a profit or recruiting
patients to Toronto. This well-organized enterprise
replaces a loose network of humanitarian activities conducted
independently by many members of HSC staff
over past years, using vacation time and outdated equipment
in an ad-hoc effort lacking a central plan.
 The architecture of Doha |
Excellent staff have been recruited to lead the program
on the ground in Qatar. Former HSC nurse managers of
Surgery, the Emergency Room, the Operating Room and
specialists in Research and Education have been hired to
work in three month rotations. They will serve under the
medical direction of pediatric nephrologist Denis Geary,
who chaired Nephrology at HSC for the past 15 years.
Qatari citizens who have trained in Canada and Europe
will lead the clinical services.
Qatar is one of the wealthiest countries in the world with
a GDP per capita of $86,000, based on its reserves of
natural gas and its techniques for processing natural gas
for transport in liquid form. The progressive philosophy
of the Emir, the resources of the country and the excellent
leadership provided by the HSC international team
promise to develop and sustain a world class centre in
Qatar that will be a magnet for patients in the region,
analogous to the role that HSC fills in North America.
The enterprise is being developed in collaboration with
the HSC Research Institute. It has an excellent staff of
well- trained business and management personnel in
addition to the advisory board.
M.M.
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