Doha: Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), the main healthcare provider in the country, has ensured that all the healthcare services continue despite the challenges of COVID-19.
“We are working hard to ensure continuity of all our services despite the challenges of COVID-19,” said HMC in its social media handles.
“Thousands of our staff continue to work tirelessly to ensure many essential services operate as normal,” it added.
Doctors and nurses across HMC trauma and emergency departments continue to offer lifesaving care to all people with medical emergencies. The Ambulance Services are safely transporting patients with medical emergencies.
HMC’s new Trauma and Emergency Center is one of the largest centres in the region. Within the facility, the Hamad Trauma Center receives around 2,000 cases annually and it provides care to people with serious injuries from across Qatar.
While midwives and doctors support the safe delivery of hundreds of babies each week across labour and delivery units. The dialysis services continuously assist patients during their regular dialysis sessions. Doctors provide thousands of outpatient consultations everyday via telemedicine services and cancer care teams provide essential treatments for patients.
On April 4, HMC had announced important service changes as the healthcare system diverts resources to its COVID-19 measures. HMC has confirmed it is implementing strict visitor policies for all hospitals as part of its measures to protect patients, visitors and healthcare staff from COVID-19.
“Rising severity of COVID-19 cases in Qatar have led to increased numbers of people being admitted to hospital with COVID-19 for treatment. To manage this increased demand for hospital beds, HMC has designated seven facilities to provide care for patients with COVID-19 and our policy means that no visitors are allowed to these facilities, while all other facilities are operating a restricted visitor policy,” said Dr. Nasser Al Ansari, Head of Infection Control at Al Wakra Hospital earlier.
According to current visitor policy, no visitors are allowed into any of the seven COVID-19 facilities — Al Wakra Hospital, Hazm Mebaireek General Hospital, Communicable Disease Center, The Cuban Hospital, Ras Lafan Hospital, Mesaieed Hospital and the Surgical Specialty Center.
At all non-COVID-19 facilities public visiting hours are from 3pm to 8pm daily.
Visitors are required to display a green Ehteraz status, wear a mask and undergo a temperature check before entry. Only one visitor is allowed at a time for a maximum of 15 minutes with maximum 3 visitors during public visiting hours. Helpers are not allowed.
Food, flowers, drinks and chocolates are not allowed to be brought into the facilities while children under 15 years old are not permitted to visit the facility.
