Mission of the Medical and Quality Directorate
The Chief Medical Officer (CMO) embodies medical authority, in respect of the law regarding public medical institutions. The mission of the CMO is to guarantee the quality and safety of the medical services offered by HUG. The CMO is responsible, in particular, for clinical research and postgraduate training. The CMO approves medical and therapeutic practices in the various medical divisions and units.
The Medical and Quality Directorate develops, after consulting the Hospital Medical Commission, HUG medical policy and presents it to the competent authorities. It oversees its application throughout HUG and it guarantees this with respect to the Executive Committee and the Board.
The Medical and Quality Directorate ensures and coordinates the promotion of quality and safety of care. It participates, in cooperation with the Teaching and Research Directorate, in the promotion of clinical research by providing both financial and training support. In particular, it is responsible for postgraduate training and patient-oriented clinical research. It directs, jointly with the Teaching and Research Directorate (Dean of the Faculty of Medicine), the HUG Clinical Research Center and provides support to young researchers, thanks to research and development projects.
The Chief Medical Officer chairs the Hospital Medical Council, a consultation body with regard to medical practices. The responsibility for medical questions rests with the Heads of Division, under the authority of the Chief Medical Officer. As a result, it has a right to oversee all medical practices at HUG.
The Chief Medical Officer consults the Board of Division Heads, which has representative authority, expressing itself via opinions on HUG medical policy and on hospital regulations relating to the medical profession and its activities.
The Medical and Quality Directorate can base its decisions on the recommendations of several Commissions, two of which play a key role in the institutional care and research policy: the Clinical Ethics Commission (CEC) and the Cantonal Research Ethics Committee (CREC).
The Chief Medical Officer presides over the Medical Student and Continuing Education Internships Abroad Commission, which has the mission of identifying, in the medical divisions, the physicians training medical interns, monitoring their career plans and potentially providing financial support for continuing education internships abroad.