Doha: Health authorities have urged the public to reduce physical visits to healthcare facilities, and instead use virtual and telemedicine services for non-emergency cases.
The advice has come amid rising number of COVID-19 infections. The dedicated, round-the-clock hotline number 16000 continues to operate and answer all questions and inquiries related to COVID-19.
“Healthcare staff are working around the clock to care for patients with COVID-19. It is important that the public support our health system by only visiting emergency departments for serious, life-threatening medical conditions,” the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) said in a tweet. HMC’s Urgent care Consultation Service is available from 7 am to 3 pm Sunday to Thursday.
Patients can call the 16000 hotline and choose option three, where a doctor will triage their call to determine which speciality they should be referred to. Physician-led Urgent Care Consultation service is for non-lifethreatening conditions. It is currently available for urology, orthopedics, general surgery, general medicine, ENT, dermatology, neurology, dental, hematology, medical oncology, paediatrics, gynaecology, geriatrics, pain management cardiology, and mental health.
The National Mental Health Helpline is staffed by a team of professionals who can provide assessment and support to callers through four main categories: children and parents, adults, older people, and frontline healthcare workers.
The helpline aims to provide an easily-accessible support line for people in need of professional advice and care. To access the helpline, which is available Saturday to Thursday from 9 am to 9 pm, members of the public can telephone the toll-free number 16000, press 2 for English, press 3 for HMC medical services, and press 1 for medical consultation.
Also, patients can order their medication by calling 16000, select language, press 3 for HMC and then 2 for medication delivery. The PHCC’s Community Call Centre is available around the clock, and it receives calls from patients for both routine and urgent appointments. People can access the call center through 16000 and book an appointment for a telephone or video consultation with physicians, dentists, and ophthalmologists.
Besides, PHCC’s eight health centres provide urgent care services around the clock in Muaither, Rawdat Al Khail, Al Gharafa, Al Kaaban, Al Shahaniyah, Al Shamal, Um Slal, and Abu Baker Al Siddiq. The Urgent Care Units will provide 24-hour care for patients of non-threatening medical needs under primary care scope, such as minor burns, sprains, severe headache or earache, high fever, dehydration, and dizziness. Other critical conditions will be stabilised and then immediately transferred by EMS for further care at HMC secondary care.
