In a bid to expand its services, the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) will provide 24-hour urgent care services at ten health centers by 2021, said Dr Mariam Abdul Malek, the Managing Director.
At present, PHCC provides urgent care services at six health centers and it will be extended to another four centers by 2021, said Dr Abdul Malek, while speaking to the media on Sunday.
“By providing urgent care services, we are supporting to reduce the pressure on Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) hospitals. At health centers, we stabilise patients and send them to a hospital or discharge them depending on the condition,” she said.
PHCC is operating through 26 primary health care centers distributed into three regions. Currently, it provides 24-hour urgent care services at Abu Bakr Al Siddiq, Rawdat Al Khail, Al Gharafa, Al Kaaban, Al Shahaniyah, and Al Shamal Health Centers.
The health centers will provide care for patients between 11pm and 7am, for non-threatening medical needs, such as minor burns, sprains, severe headache or earache, dehydration, and dizziness.
The urgent care center will be led by teams of a doctor and nurse, supported by a pharmacy and x-ray service.
Dr Abdul Malek said integrated care provided by the PHCC together with HMC ensures smooth delivery of care to patients. “We are focusing on integrated care in line with the National Health Strategy 2018-2022,” she said.
“It aims to improve continuity and timely access across the continuum of multiple settings and levels of care and deliver the right care in the appropriate setting, underpinned by referral guidelines, care pathways and evidence-based practice,” she added.
“Integrated care is not only giving comprehensive care, it is also to protect patients’ life. And we have family medicine model. It gives comprehensive kind of care to the patient, detecting the disease at the beginning or by prevention, which is more important,” she said.
