Hamad Medical Corporation sees significant increase in number of patients

DOHA: All hospitals at the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) have seen a significant increase in number of patients from 2016 to 2017.

All three general hospitals at HMC saw an increased number of outpatient visits with demand for Al Wakrah Hospital’s outpatient services increasing by 25 percent, the Cuban Hospital’s by 31 percent and Al Khor Hospital’s by 18 percent, said Dr Abdulla Al Ansari, Acting Chief Medical Officer at HMC, in a statement issued yesterday.

Surgeries and surgical procedures performed also increased by more than 15 percent last year, enabling nearly 9,500 more patients to benefit from HMC’s surgical services. To date, more than 221,000 appointments have been provided to patients at the new Medical City Hospitals.

HMC’s role in helping expand Qatar’s healthcare system to better meet patient needs was highlighted as part of the organisation’s World Health Day celebrations. Last year saw the healthcare provider make significant expansions, including the official opening of the new Medical City complex. The opening of three new hospitals, coupled with the expansion of existing services, the addition of new staff, and improved ways of working led to more appointments for patients, additional hospital beds, and reduced wait times, all resulting in greater access to specialised care.

“The transformation of Qatar’s healthcare system has been substantial and HMC’s contribution has included the opening of new facilities and the implementation of performance and quality improvement measures designed to deliver better care. As our country’s population has grown, so too has the demand for our services and we are at the forefront of providing innovative care. Our clinical teams provide care for more than one and a half million outpatient appointments each year and we are continuing to expand to meet the needs of our population,” said Dr Al Ansari.

“The new Medical City Hospital facilities care for more than a 1,000 patients each day. We are also caring for more outpatients across our network of hospitals, with over 17 percent more appointments available to patients today, compared to last year, and this number is continuing to increase. So far this year we have provided specialised care to an additional 19,000 patients each month at our outpatient clinics, compared to the same period last year,”  he added.

Yesterday, HMC’s General Internal Medicine Department kicked off a series of health education seminars that will be held for non-clinical staff at HMC and members of the public during 2018. Held under the theme ‘Health for All’, the seminars are delivered in a number of languages and include short lectures covering the most common community health topics, such as hypertension, diabetes, smoking, obesity, and lifestyle modifications.

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) World Health Day theme of ‘Health for All’ aligns with Qatar’s National Health Strategy 2018-2022 theme of ‘Our Health, Our Future’. Qatar maintains a strong commitment to the WHO’s tenet of universal health coverage and continues to invest in the country’s healthcare sector as part of a commitment to providing residents with affordable, quality health services.