Qatar’s efforts to fight diabetes and other diseases are to get a major boost with multidisciplinary clinics set to open at health centres, as a local outcome of World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH), a global initiative of Qatar Foundation (QF).
The clinics are to duplicate a pilot project known as Smart Clinic at the Al Wakra health centre , designed to improve the health and well-being of people through the delivery of efficient care for those who suffer from, or are at risk of, developing diabetes, said a senior official yesterday.
With the expansion of the project, health centres will have special clinics to treat, screen and educate people on life style diseases and conditions such as cancer and conduct a annual health check.
“We are planning to introduce the smart clinic model in the next few months to Health and Wellness centres and hopefully we will cover all health centres eventually,” said Dr Mariam Ali Abdulmalik, Managing Director of Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), speaking at a press conference.
“We will adopt the smart clinic model not only for diabetes but for all diseases,” she said.
The Smart Clinic at Wakra health centre was open only for nationals. Using a combination of data analytics and a risk-based screening, it identifies those with known diabetes risk factors and invites these high-risk patients to the Smart Clinic for voluntary screening. The clinic opened in January and 9,800 people had been invited for screening and 1500 tested for diabetes. Of them, 32 were identified as pre-diabetic and 44 diagnosed with the disease. “The uniqueness of the Smart Clinic, once a person is identified as pre diabetic we can do a lot about prevention,” said Dr Abdulmalik.
The clinic’s implementation was accomplished in cooperation with PHCC and Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and followed a 2013 WISH report and recommendation on Accountable Care.
“The Smart Clinic helped us to set the scene in Accountable Care enhance the patient doctor relationship, it gives the opportunity for more satisfaction. This project has helped us to provide more coordinated , comprehensive, integrated primary and secondary care for patients,” said Dr Abdulmalik.
