Doha: An expanded Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU) located within Hamad General Hospital (HGH) with state-of-the-art facilities was officially inaugurated yesterday by Minister of Public Health, H E Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari.
The capacity of the unit has almost doubled with the number of beds increasing from 15 to 27 and it has been designed to meet the growing demand for high-quality surgical care in Qatar. The completion of the SICU expansion marks the final phase in the Hamad General Hospital Operating Theater Expansion project, which began in 2013.
The SICU offers the highest standard of post-operative care to patients who have had more complex surgeries. The SICU also cares for patients with life-threatening conditions as well as critically-ill patients requiring frequent monitoring and potential intervention or ventilation.
“HMC is on a journey to improve and expand surgical, trauma, and emergency services and capacity in Qatar. The new surgical services facility at Hamad General Hospital has helped to meet the growing demand for high-quality surgical care in Qatar and ensure that we stay ahead of demand for these services. This most recent expansion of our SICU has helped achieve this aim so we can continue to provide the very best care for surgical patients for many years to come,” said Dr Al Kuwari.
The Minister of Public Health, H E Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, also toured the facility with senior officials including Dr. Abdulla Al Ansari, Acting Chief Medical Officer at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC); Dr. Yousef Al Maslamani, Medical Director HGH; Dr. Moustafa Al Khalil, Director of Operating Theaters and Senior Consultant and Head of Carnio-Maxillofacial Surgery Department at HMC; Ali Al Khater, Chief Communications Officer, Corporate Communications Department and several others.
“The expansion of Hamad General Hospital’s surgical services is part of an ambitious and comprehensive plan to increase capacity and enhance the hospital’s surgical capabilities to ensure we are providing the most advanced techniques available to Qatar’s population. The surgical services facility houses 20 state-of-the-art surgical theaters, a 19-bed Trauma Intensive Care Unit, and state-of-the-art real-time imaging through CT, MRI, Brain Lab, and Artis Zeego imaging technology. It also features a da Vinci Xi surgical robot used for specialist and general surgeries,” said Dr Al Ansari. The SICU features a direct link to both the Hamad General Hospital Operating Theater Suites and the new Surgical Speciality Center.
“The SICU is a seven star facility and it has the best features which anyone can find in an intensive care unit. It has 27 beds, four isolation rooms, including three negative pressure rooms which will keep patients safer. The completion of the final phase of the Operating Theater Expansion project. In phase one, we opened new theatres, in phase two added pre and post surgery care areas,” said Dr Al Maslamani.
“Opening of the expansion will help to serve more patients and will see zero percent cancellation of cases,” said Dr Al Khalil. According to him, Surgical Speciality Center at the old Women’s Hospital will be completed by mid 2020.
