Dr Maslamani, al-Noimi, Dr al-Kaabi and others are seen during the ribbon cutting ceremony.
Qatar’s first paediatric dialysis unit has been opened at the Hamad General Hospital (HGH), to ensure that children suffering from kidney disease have access to the highest quality care.
With three dialysis stations, the unit provides hemodialysis services for children aged under 14 years with kidney failure.
The unit currently has 15 registered patients and is staffed by a specialist team of nephrologists who are supported by a clinical pharmacist, dietician and a social worker.
Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) senior consultant and Paediatric Kidney Dialysis Unit director Dr Bajes Hamad said that the unit is also equipped with other items such as television attached to each bed to provide a pleasant environment for the children while they are undergoing kidney dialysis, which usually lasts about four hours.
“A child normally needs an average of four to five hemodialysis sessions weekly. To meet this, the unit is operating daily, except Friday, from 6am-10pm,” Dr Hamad said.
He explained that the unit was working towards expanding the hemodialysis programme to include babies in the near future.
The unit was officially opened by HGH chief of Medical Staff Dr Yousef al-Maslamani and chief of Communications and Chief of Staff of managing director’s office Mohamad Mubarak Mohamad al-Noimi.
The ceremony was attended by a host of nephrologists as well as physicians from Paediatric Department.
Paediatric Kidney Dialysis section head and senior consultant Dr Abdalla al-Kaabi said the opening of the new unit comes as a result of the hard work of HMC’s multidisciplinary team from the various medical, nursing, laboratory and radiology sections.
“The establishment of the unit inside the hospital and close to the Paediatrics Intensive Care Unit (PICU) ensures access to life saving treatment for our young renal patients,” Dr al-Kaabi said.
