QRI on path to become totally comprehensive rehab institute

The Qatar Rehabilitation Institute (QRI) one of the three hospitals opened recently at the Hamad Bin Khalifa Medical City of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) will add more services soon, making it a completely comprehensive rehabilitation institute, a top official has told Gulf Times.

“All the services have been established and the expansion will be carried out in various stages," explained Dr Wafa al-Yazeedi, chairperson of QRI.Pain management has not yet started for the inpatients. The High Dependency Unit (HDU) or Step- down units will be started. Easy street, another key rehabilitation service is still to be open. "All these facilities are expected to be completed in 2018 or early 2019,” she said.According to Dr al-Yazeedi, since the opening of QRI in early 2017, a total of 60,000 inpatients and outpatients were attended to as on September 2017. “The major cases treated at QRI are spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injury, stroke cases, Gilmore Syndrome, multiple sclerosis and all other neurological deficiencies. The treatment is open to both male and female of all ages,” said Dr al-Yazeedi.“Easy Street is a unique rehabilitation programme which helps our patients practise the skills they need for independent living in a realistic, yet safe, way. Easy Street is a simulated street which helps patients learn to manage the everyday challenges of living in a community,” explained the physician.“HDUs, also called step-down are progressive and intermediate care units. HDUs are wards for people who need more intensive observation, treatment and nursing care than is possible in a general ward but slightly less than that given in intensive care,” continued the official.The QRI chairperson described the care provided at the institute as ‘the most comprehensive and intensive rehabilitation services.’ “We have set up a protocol with a functional programme that completes the patient journey from the time of admission at the hospital.We work as a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary team and set up short and long term goals for patient care plan. This makes the reintegration of the patients a smooth process enabling them to get back to the community at the earliest,” she highlighted. The official also pointed out that that QRI meets the international standards in all its services and programmes. “We try to combine our new programmes with the good aspects of the old programmes to develop a safe environment for the patient. This helps to rehabilitate them and prepare them to reintegrate to the community very effectively. We always try to upgrade the services by adding new programmes and check statistically about the requirements of the services in the country,” added Dr al-Yazeedi.