Doha, October 27 (QNA) - Chief of Healthcare Facilities and Acting Chief of Business Services at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) Hamad Al Khalifa underlined that the wide and great development that HMC has witnessed over the past years, which made it one of the best health institutions in the world.
In an exclusive interview with Qatar News Agency (QNA), Al Khalifa indicated that Hamad Medical Corporation, which was established in 1979, with the aim of providing the best level of safe and effective healthcare services to the population in the country, and with the support of the wise leadership, has gradually expanded so that its affiliated hospitals are geographically covering the accelerated growth in population and urban densities, economic activities and the cities of the petroleum and strategic industries in the country, while ambitious plans are still being developed for horizontal and vertical expansion and continuous modernization, keeping pace with progress made in medical sciences and innovative and sustainable equipment.
He stressed that the prestigious HMC's medical position and distinguished reputation worldwide is a natural result of the continuous support form the wise leadership and the comprehensive planning for the development of the State of Qatar within the framework of its National Vision 2030 and the National Health Strategy, especially with regard to the development of facilities in terms of capacity, quality, diversity of services, and expansion over various cities and municipalities.
He went to say that great medical, technical and administrative efforts have been made according to which Hamad Medical Corporation obtained the accreditation certificate of the Joint Commission International (JCI), which is concerned with the accreditation and licensing of healthcare institutions and programs in the field of patient care and safety services around the world, noting that HMC has health facilities that meet the highest standards.
Hamad Al Khalifa noted that the Corporation has achieved great distinction when it became, since 2016, the first governmental healthcare institution worldwide to have all of its hospitals accredited by JCI.
Regarding the huge and wide expansion witnessed by HMC, he said that the Corporation expanded from one hospital in 1979 to 12 hospitals at the present time, in addition to several hospitals currently under construction, while important expansions took place, as for example in the mental health hospital, as well as other services which are now under implementation in preparation for the expected requirements during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
He revealed that the future health projects that will open soon include Mesaieed General Hospital with a capacity of 120 beds, and Ras Laffan General Hospital with a capacity of 120 beds as well, both of which are general community hospitals that are being equipped with the latest and most advanced technologies to provide healthcare services for male patients, adding that work is now underway to equip the Care Center in Hamad Bin Khalifa Medical City which provides diagnostic and treatment services for elderly, and short stay unit.
He said that over the past few years, specifically in 2016, the Communicable Disease Center (CDC) was opened with a capacity of 65 beds and the surgical department at Hamad General Hospital was expanded with a capacity of 20 operating theatres, as well as the Bone and Joint Center.
In 2017, the largest hospital complex was opened in Hamad Bin Khalifa Medical City, which includes the Women's Wellness and Research Center with a capacity of 190 suites, 93 incubators for premature infants and a day care center with a capacity of 64 beds, in addition to Qatar Rehabilitation Institute with 193 beds.
He added that in 2019, the new Trauma and Emergency Center, was opened at Hamad General Hospital with a capacity of 226 treatment rooms that include state-of-the-art medical equipment and technologies. It also includes an oxygen therapy room that can treat about 18 patients with various health conditions, including diving accidents, he added.
He also referred to the opening of Hazm Mebaireek General Hospital with a capacity of 120 beds, a general community hospital that is equipped with the latest and most advanced technologies to provide care services for male patients.
Within the framework of these remarkable expansions, he said that a Surgical Intensive Care Unit of Hamad General Hospital was also opened, after it was completely expanded and modernized, which means the completion of the surgical services facility, which was opened in 2016, in addition to the opening of the Surgical Specialty Center in the former Women's Hospital in 2020, with a capacity of 287 beds, noting that it is among the seven facilities that were designated to care for Covid-19 patients during the second wave of the pandemic, along with Hazm Mebaireek General Hospital, the Communicable Disease Center, the Cuban Hospital, Ras Laffan Hospital, Mesaieed Hospital, and Al Wakra Hospital.
The number of patients to whom the HMC provides healthcare services is also witnessing continuous growth at appropriate rates and quality, as a result of the scale of the continuous development witnessed by the State of Qatar under its wise leadership, Al Khalifa said.
On the most prominent changes that HMC has witnessed in the past in terms of surgeries, organ transplants, research centers, obstetrics and gynecology services, children and other specialties, Hamad Al Khalifa explained that since the opening of Rumailah Hospital for the first time in 1957, Hamad Medical Corporation has gradually expanded by adding additional hospitals, pointing out that as the State of Qatar has grown and developed over the past half century, so has Hamad Medical Corporation. This long history of care for the people of Qatar gives the Corporation a unique cultural and civilizational dimension that ensures that the healthcare needs of the population are met and the best possible care is provided, he added.
Regarding the organ transplant program in the State of Qatar, he explained that the program has been developed to provide kidney and liver transplant surgeries, as well as robotic knee replacement at the Bone and Joint Center, underlying that Hamad Medical Corporation has recently started lung transplant, making it one of the most comprehensive transplant centers in the region.
He also pointed out that everyone who lives in the State of Qatar benefits from the HMC's organ transplant program, which limits travel abroad to undergo organ transplants, and at the same time relieves hardship on the patient and his family and develops the Corporation's capabilities in terms of success rates and absorptive capacity.
Regarding communicable and epidemic diseases, HMC, in cooperation with the health sector in the State of Qatar, was able to deal with Covid-19 pandemic with great professionalism and helped reduces as much as possible the number of infection and deaths, indicating that the State of Qatar and Singapore recorded the lowest death rates globally despite the high number of infections that are recorded daily in light of the spread of the virus around the world.
He added that the State of Qatar has gained international acclaim in facing this pandemic, as the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Eastern Mediterranean Region praised Qatar's efforts in combating the virus, as the country was able to deal with it capably thanks to the strong health system and cadres, as well as the experiences gained through four decades of hard work.
During his exclusive interview with QNA, Chief of Healthcare Facilities and Acting Chief of Business Services at HMC Hamad Al Khalifa revealed that HMC, in cooperation with the Public Works Authority (Ashghal), is establishing the second phase of the modernization project for the Mental Health Hospital, including building an expansion of 65 single rooms and redeveloping and expanding the current building to include 31 additional beds and facilities for medical education and activities.
On HMC role in achieving the 2018-2022 National Health Strategy in cooperation with its other partners in the country, Al Khalifa explained that MOPH has maintained continuous communication with all medical institutions operating in Qatar, such as HMC, PHCC, QRCS, and others, which are entrusted with leading efforts to implement priority projects at the level of population groups and the integrated health system.
He added that MOPH has retained the responsibility of following up and implementing initiatives and programs related to the departments of the ministerial structure, in addition to permanent tasks and responsibilities, while the agenda of important population groups are assigned to the leaders of major health sectors with full support and powers to set the pace of systematic change and accelerate expansion and development processes, program delivery and implementation projects related to the national strategy, as their responsibilities include providing the skills and leadership necessary to ensure the implementation of projects with what is required to follow up, correct and measure progress or delays in implementation, operation, and sustainability. These leaders have a clear role in the corporate governance structure and in defining a clear strategic direction in terms of tasks and accountability from the top of the pyramid to the base, he explained.
Regarding the cancer strategy, Al Khalifa stressed that HMC is committed to working to reduce the spread of cancer among the population in the State of Qatar through research and education programs, in addition to providing distinguished treatment services for all cancer patients. He said that public awareness and health education efforts for individuals of the community through community and media activities are key elements to help fulfill this commitment. These activities aim to raise awareness of all types of cancer in Qatar, to raise awareness of its symptoms and signs, and the importance of early detection, and to raise awareness of the importance of adhering to prevention factors and adopting a healthy lifestyle because of its impact in saving the lives of many individuals, he explained.
On diabetes and obesity, he said that it is one of the priorities of the HMC Academic Health System, as Qatar Metabolic Institute (QMI), based on a unique collaborative partnership across several leading educational, research, and clinical institutions in Qatar, including, HMC; PHCC; Sidra Medical and Research Center; Qatar Biomedical Research Institute; Qatar University; Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar; College of North Atlantic in Qatar; and the University of Calgary in Qatar. He pointed out that QMI promotes awareness of combating obesity, raising awareness of body health and following a healthy lifestyle, and educating the public about the risks and negatives of obesity, as it does not affect the quality of life only, but is closely related to chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, lung diseases, and some types of cancer and many other diseases.
Al Khalifa reviewed many aspects that have witnessed a remarkable change across the country's health system, where paper medical records for patients have been replaced by an advanced online system, simple medical imaging tools have been dispensed with to be replaced by complex and more advanced diagnostic devices, and operating rooms with limited capabilities were also replaced by those equipped with the latest modern technology around the world. He added that HMC is aware of the patients' needs and is committed to the plans for future development and expansion of services to ensure the provision of the best possible health care for all patients and future generations.
Regarding HMC's contributions to reducing the number of citizens who wish to be treated abroad, HMC Chief of Healthcare Facilities and Acting Chief of Business Services explained that the goal of establishing the International Medical Affairs Office (IMAO) is to achieve distinguished standards for health care services for patients traveling abroad for treatment, pointing out that this office focuses its efforts to ensure the quality of medical services provided to patients, and ensure that they have an easy and convenient experience, starting with their referral for treatment abroad until their return to Qatar to start follow-up with HMC doctors.
He said that the IMAO supervisors identified the aspects to improve health care services in the State of Qatar, and thus reduce the volume of demand for treatment abroad and improve the quality of medical care provided to Qatari patients abroad, as well as improving the experience of these patients and their accompanying family members.
Regarding HMC's most prominent plans in the field of improving and developing its services, Hamad Al Khalifa, said, at the conclusion of his interview with QNA, that some projects are close to opening following completing their equipping with medical devices and human cadres, including the Al Maha Centre for Children and Young Adults, with a 96-bed capacity, near Al Wakra Hospital. He stressed that the center represents a qualitative leap in the care services for children with multiple and long-term health needs.
HMC is the main provider of secondary and tertiary healthcare in Qatar and one of the leading hospital providers in the Middle East. For more than four decades, HMC has been dedicated to delivering the safest, most effective, and compassionate care to all its patients.
HMC manages 12 hospitals - nine specialist hospitals and three community hospitals - as well as the National Ambulance Service and home and residential care services.
HMC collaborates with key partners who are experts in Qatar and beyond, including Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, and Partners Healthcare, Boston. HMC is also the first hospital system in the Middle East to achieve institutional accreditation from the ACGME International LLC, which demonstrates excellence in the way medical graduates are trained through residency, internship, and fellowship programs.