Doha: The efficiency of the country’s healthcare system has been proved by the smooth transition from the peak to the flattening of the COVID-19 curve.
Front-line physicians played a vital role in the battle against COVID-19. The Peninsula spoke to physicians at Hamad Medical Corporation’s Communicable Disease Centre (CDC), a dedicated facility for COVID-19 patients.
Under its dedicated leadership, hundreds of staff have worked tirelessly to deliver care of world-class standard to thousands of COVID-19 patients during the past months, said Dr. Ahmed Zaqout, Associate Consultant for Infectious Diseases at CDC.
Dr. Zaqout said CDC adapted to an entirely new and challenging task. “Each patient was triaged and assessed for the severity of symptoms around the clock and they were provided with appropriate level of care.”
“Right from the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, everyone among the healthcare workers has worked to ensure that every patient is able to quickly access the medical care they need,” he said.
Dr. Ahmed Zaqout, Associate Consultant for Infectious Diseases at CDC
From the first day of learning their COVID-19 treatment workflow and protocols, doctors have cared for mild, moderate, and extremely ill patients. “In the beginning everyone was concerned, repeatedly had a mixture of fear and anxiety about the treatment of COVID-19 patients. HMC and CDC provided us with all required information and training for better diagnosis and treatment of patients,” said Dr. Zaqout.
“Doctors and healthcare professionals from different specialities across the HMC came together. Qatar’s healthcare system was proactive towards COVID-19, all precautionary measures were implemented across the country, and healthcare facilities were expanded significantly and it boosted the capacity to care for the increasing number of COVID-19 patients. It was quite remarkable,” he said.
According to Dr. Zaqout, the fight against COVID-19 and low mortality rate due to COVID-19 has proved Qatar’s healthcare system has the efficiency to respond to a pandemic.
Sharing his experience about treating COVID-19 patients, Dr. Zaqout said, “It was a completely different experience. Though we have heard of pandemics, it is different to live and work during a pandemic.”
“I am glad to have been part of this exceptional team of healthcare professionals across the HMC over the past few months. The circumstances we have faced have been unprecedented. Yet, as a team we have risen to the many challenges that we have faced and overcome, each and every one with distinction,” he said.
According to Dr. Zaqout, at times, treating COVID-19 patients took a more emotional toll than physical. Some patients Dr. Zaqout has seen were on ventilators and in isolated rooms. He said that at some situations they had to provide life support and take life-saving measures which patients needed.
Dr. Zaqout’s colleague Dr. Alaa Eldeen Abdul Majed, Associate Consultant at CDC, also shared his experience of treating COVID-19 patients.
“As COVID-19 was a novel virus, we were less aware about it initially. We were looking at medical literature and studies in countries like China, Italy and Iran. But when the outbreak happened in Qatar, we were prepared to meet the situation,” he said.
Dr. Alaa Eldeen Abdul Majed, Associate Consultant at CDC
CDC is purpose-built to manage patients with infectious disease and ensure that the virus is not spread to other people within the hospital or outside.
Dr. Majed recalled receiving the first COVID-19 patient in Qatar, who was among people evacuated by a plane from Iran.
“Overall it was a great and unique experience. I feel privileged to be in front line and caring for people at the most needed time. The experience is very different from receiving the first COVID-19 patient, reaching the peak and reaching today’s situation. Day by day, we built our experience and knowledge,” said Dr. Majed.
He said it was a great pleasure to see the first patient recover from COVID-19. “Those days, according to WHO guidelines, we had very high criteria for recovery and discharge of COVID-19 patients,” he said.
He lauded Qatar’s dedication to provide equal and high-quality healthcare to everyone in the country. “We (in Qatar) are providing one of the best services in the world to COVID-19 patients. Qatar provided healthcare for all levels of medical intervention and facilities to everyone, and provided isolation facilities for thousands of people,” he said.
In the battle against COVID-19, there is an urgent need to provide health care providers with personal protective equipment (PPE), to keep them safe as they treat patients. Dr. Zaqout and Dr. Majed said that all healthcare professionals are provided with all needed medical supplies, including adequate PPE.
Although COVID-19 cases are on decline, Dr. Zaqout and Dr. Majed reminded that now more than ever, public must be careful and protect the most vulnerable. They urged the public to take responsibility and follow all COVID-19 precautions as there is still a significant risk from the virus to people’s health.
