As a result of the rapidly evolving situation relating to coronavirus disease (Covid-19), a number of changes have been made that affect the provision of routine healthcare services in Qatar’s healthcare system.
These changes have been made in order to prioritise resources at this important time and to protect patients, visitors and the wider public from the spread of Covid-19, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has said in a statement.
These changes pertain to the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) and Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), and include various services and facilities offered by them.
The Primary Health Care Corporation is implementing the following precautionary measures from today:
* Scheduled appointments - All scheduled appointments are now cancelled except Well-Baby and Vaccination clinics and Urgent Radiology and Ultrasound appointments.
* Walk-in and Urgent clinics - All Walk-in and Urgent units will be operating as normal.
* All Urgent Care units will be operating as normal - the PHCC’s six Urgent Care Centres – at the Gharrafat Al Rayyan, Rawdat Al Khail, Al Gharafa, Al Kaaban, Al Sheehaniya and Al Shamal health centres – all remain open as usual 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for walk-in patients requiring urgent care.
Following are the changes at Hamad Medical Corporation:
* Changes to outpatient services - All patients with scheduled outpatient appointments will continue to receive a consultation by one of the doctors. However, all outpatient appointments will be delivered via telephone consultations. Therefore, patients should not come into the hospital. If, during the telephone consultation, the doctor deems that the patient needs to come in to see them, the doctor will arrange for a new appointment within days.
These changes are being made to protect patients, visitors and the wider public from the spread of Covid-19.
For any enquiries related to changes in outpatient services, one can call HMC’s Nesmaak customer care team on 16060.
* Cancellation of elective surgeries - All elective surgeries, day surgeries, elective procedures like endoscopy and dental have been cancelled.
Cancelled surgeries will be rescheduled for a later date.
* Inpatient visitor policy - In order to limit the potential spread of Covid-19, additional restrictions for visitors to Inpatient Units are now in place across HMC hospitals.
From March 13, visitors are limited to first- and second-degree relatives only, one at a time, and for a maximum of 15 minutes.
* HMC Emergency Departments - All HMC Emergency Departments (including Paediatric Care Centres) continue to operate as normal, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Patients are reminded that HMC’s Emergency Departments are for urgent and life-threatening conditions only. Patients with urgent but non-life threatening conditions can visit these PHCC’s Urgent Care Clinics 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Patients with suspected Covid-19 should call the MoPH hotline on 16000.
* HMC Ambulance Service - HMC’s Ambulance Service continues to operate as normal, providing 24/7 medical services to patients with medical emergencies requiring immediate attention and transfer to an emergency department.
The public is reminded not to call 999 for enquiries in relation to Covid-19. For all questions and enquiries related to Covid-19, members of the public should call the Ministry of Public Health’s dedicated hotline on 16000.
