The Department of Pediatrics at Al Wakrah Hospital has seen several developments including decrease in waiting time, increase in number of beds, latest equipment and technology.
It sees children with different health conditions in four subdivisions; General Pediatric section with 26 beds, Emergency Pediatric section also has 26 beds, Pediatric Intensive Care with a total of 11 beds and Neonatal Intensive Care with 29 beds.
The level of care for children at Al Wakrah Hospital falls under the so-called ‘second medical level’, and subspecialties in pediatrics have been transferred to Sidra Medicine, said Dr. Khalil Salameh (pictured), Chief of Pediatric Department at Al Wakrah Hospital. “The Department of Pediatrics at Al Wakrah Hospital caters to the health of children in the southern neighbourhoods of Qatar. The department aims to advance the health of infants and children through innovative medical care, research, training, advocacy and continuing medical education. With its state-of-the-art facilities, highly trained medical teams and collaborative healthcare, patients are provided with the best quality of services,” he told media persons.
The Department of Pediatrics at Al Wakrah Hospital has established a quality system so that the time period from the time of arrival of the child to admission - if needed - does not need more than 90 minutes.
“We had long waiting time before, but we have reduced them intensively since the hospital opened. In the emergency department, cases are divided into five categories: the first is the critical case, which must be seen immediately without waiting, and doctors work on the case less than a minute after arrival. The second category, wait no more than 5-10 minutes. The third case is presented to the doctor in approximately 15 minutes,” said Dr. Salameh. “As for the fourth and fifth categories, they can be referred to health centres; they are not urgent, they represent about 70% of the patients in emergency reviewers, but they do not wait for more than 30-45 minutes, and in the evening period the peak does not exceed one hour,” he added.
For outpatients also a new system has been introduced to minimise patient waiting by increased evening clinics, a clinic opened on Saturday, and clinics were generally increased, waiting was no more than 28 days, and if urgent, wait no more than 14 Days. The clinic receives approximately 50 cases per week. The hospital runs 17 clinics per week for general pediatric.
“With regard to the cases need to be seen in the clinic if the patient has blood test, we have established a pediatric emergency follow-up clinic in Al Wakra hospital, so that the case can be seen within 72 hrs,” said Dr Salameh.
In 2018 the pediatric emergency in Al Wakrah Hospital treated 113,000 children; approximately 10,000 cases per month and 400 a day. “This is a large number compared to 2012, the year Al Wakrah Hospital was opened, where the number of pediatric emergency cases in the hospital did not exceed 32 thousand children; that is, within six years we have reached almost four times the cases that were seen,” Dr Salameh.
“We receive about 40% of the patients from outside of our geographical scope; i.e. outside of Al Wakra, sometimes from Al Sadd emergency, airport emergency, or other areas,” he added.
In 2013, a total of 2,200 babies were born at Al Wakra Hospital and it has gradually increased to 6,000 in 2018.
“We have newborn high risk clinics, vaccination and metabolic clinic. The baby clinics are visited by about 4000 children a year, which is a very large number, given that the newborn baby is discharged from the hospital and then we review in three days,” said Dr Salameh.
“The metabolic clinic is examining the children; this examination is required in Qatar, which is 33 tests related to metabolism and genetic diseases, all conducted within 48 hours of birth, and this is absolutely necessary, that the patient is examined urgently,” he added.
Pediatricians attend the births and cesarean section if the baby need any resuscitation. They check the postnatal rooms and educate the mother how to take care of the baby, the vital signs and the emergency things she has to pay attention to. They also make sure there are no birth defects in the child and heart disease that may appear after a day or two of birth.
