HMC hospitals continue to offer emergency services, says top official

With preventive and precautionary measures in place to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Qatar, some healthcare services have witnessed changes to ensure the safety of staff and patients.

Under the ambition to avoid crowding at hospitals, Qatar launched a set of remote healthcare services which include scheduling appointments with healthcare providers, receiving virtual consultation and medical advice, obtaining sick leave, as well as getting medicine delivered to your doorstep.

Other changes have included the closure of some elective health services at all private medical centers except for emergency cases.

Despite these steps, the Hamad General Hospital (HGH) and its affiliated hospitals remain open to the public for emergency services.

This was highlighted by Hamad Medical Corporation's (HMC) acting head of the Intensive Care Unit, Dr Ahmed Al Mohamed during a press conference held recently.

"Emergency cases can go to the various emergency departments, whereas non-emergency cases have been postponed to divert medical teams for the COVID-19 cases in other hospitals,” Dr Al Mohamed said.

"More than 25,000 remote medical consultations are provided every week at hospitals that are not designated to deal with COVID-19 cases. These services were not available before and are required in the wake of the pandemic," he highlighted.

According to Dr Al Mohamed, every week HMC maternity teams manage more than 400 cases. At least 550 cancer patients receive chemotherapy, the ambulance service responds to over 5,000 emergency calls and more than 20,000 visits are recorded in the emergency sections.

All these statistics indicate that the provision of services continues in full swing, the official said.

"The focus on facing COVID-19 cannot prevent the provision of other services," he added.

Qatar's comprehensive health care strategy ensures that despite the current challenge at hand, all patients requiring medical attention and care are attended to.

"This strategy balances between facing the COVID-19 outbreak and delivering in parallel uninterrupted care for other diseases as well as emergency situations," Dr Al Mohamed said.

Earlier, in an interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), the Director of the Public Health Department at the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) Dr Sheikh Mohamed bin Hamad Al Thani pointed out that the country has designated five hospitals, four health centers, and an isolation facility to ensure the availability of testing, isolation and treatment facilities for COVID-19 cases.

As health authorities in Qatar continue to implement the highest level of monitoring, detection, and management procedures to deal with the virus, the public has been advised to follow certain measures to safeguard their health.

For any queries, or concerns related to COVID-19 in Qatar, the public can contact a 24/7 hotline set up by the Ministry. The hotline number is 16000 and is toll-free.

Here's everything you need to know about the virus, including ways to protect yourself.

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