Doha: Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Department of Surgery is preparing to establish a specialised surgery center in the former Women’s Hospital building.
Once fully operational, the Surgical Specialty Center will be an important addition to Qatar’s health system and will improve patient experience.
First phase of the three-phase relocation process has already begun with moving general and craino maxillofacial surgery patients to the facility. When the relocation process is complete, 285 new beds are expected to be made available for surgical patients.
The establishment of the new facility is expected to lead to an increase in the number of surgeries performed, reducing wait times and increasing access to specialised surgical care.
Last month, 86 patients from the Department of Surgery’s inpatient unit at Hamad General Hospital were transferred to the 5th and 6th floors of the former Women’s Hospital. Remaining patients at the inpatient unit will be transferred to the new center in the coming months as renovations of the facility are completed.
“The transfer of these first patients to our new facility was completed after many months of planning and preparation. We met regularly for approximately three months and discussed all possible scenarios. Our ultimate goal was to ensure the safe and comfortable transfer of patients to the new unit,” Dr Mohamed El Akkad, Vice-Chair of Surgery at HMC.
“The second and third phases of the opening of the new Specialized Surgery Center will involve the transfer of outpatient clinics and operating rooms and is expected to be completed by mid and late 2019 respectively.
The final phase of the transition will be completed by 2020 and will involve the completion of renovation and maintenance work on the ground floor, the remainder of the hospital floors, and the exterior of the building,” he added.
There are also plans to establish a special unit for the rapid assessment of surgical patients as part of the emergency care service. The new unit will reduce unnecessary admissions and improve the acute care surgical service.
The unit will have the latest equipment and will be staffed by clinical teams trained in the rapid assessment and treatment of a variety of conditions that require surgical intervention.
Dr Moustafa Khalil, Senior Consultant and Head of the Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery Department, said the establishment of the new Surgical Specialty Center will significantly increase the capacity of his department to provide care to patients who require head and neck surgery. He said in addition to increasing the number of beds available to patients and reducing wait times, the new facility will streamline how care is provided to patients.
“This repurposed space will provide a dedicated center for the rapid assessment, treatment, and admission of emergency patients, as well as patients who will undergo planned surgery.
This new facility will improve our ability to care for patients, increasing inpatient beds, reducing wait times, and providing a ‘one-stop shop’ approach to care by co-locating a number of key services and ultimately improving clinical outcomes and patient experience,” said Dr Alkhalil.
In recent years, centers for specialized surgery have become increasingly popular, with the United States-based Mayo Clinic and New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Canada-based Toronto General Hospital having established centers that are now recognized internationally.
HMC is aiming to have its new facility recognized as a centre for excellence in specialized surgery.
