Doha: The Child Health Notebook has been introduced at private healthcare facilities, as a step towards more health system integration, with the aim of ensuring continuity of care for children in Qatar, the Primary Healthcare Corporation (PHCC) announced yesterday.
The Child Health Notebook is a comprehensive record of the child’s health, from birth up to five years old, which parents can present at all health facilities in Qatar, including government and private paediatric emergencies, clinics and hospitals.
The notebook, was launched in 2013 by PHCC, in collaboration with Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH). It was originally rolled out at health centres and government hospital. This initiative serves the national health priority of ‘Integrated Model of High-Quality Care and Service Delivery,’ which is one of the 12 priorities outlined within the National Health Strategy (NHS) 2018-2022. It aims to ensure that people receive well-coordinated care, delivered in a professional and safe environment at the appropriate level, underpinned by referral guidelines, care pathways and evidence-based practice. The notebook can also be used abroad, in order to share essential and accurate information with medical staff. The notebook compiles the child’s basic data, as well as family history, vaccination, growth monitoring data, developmental progress of the child, in addition to results of new born screening for metabolic disorders, among other details in an accessible way. “The introduction of the Child Health Notebook in private hospitals is a step in the right direction towards health system integration. It is a patient centered approach which ensures better care for children no matter when or where the service is provided,” said Dr Sadriya Al Kohji (pictured), Head of Child and Adolescent Health at Primary PHCC, and NHS Lead for ‘Healthy Children and Adolescents’ priority population.
The NHS 2018-2022 represents the vision for health in Qatar for the next five years. It outlines 12 health priorities, seven of which focus on priority populations, while five focus on system-wide improvements.
