In a bid to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and protect patients and public, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) yesterday announced a number of changes in provision of routine healthcare services.
“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,” said MoPH in its website.
It said that PHCC is implementing precautionary measures that will come into effect from today. All scheduled appointments are now cancelled except Well-baby and Vaccination Clinics and Urgent Radiology and Ultrasound appointments.
All Walk-in and urgent units will be operating as normal and all Urgent Care Units will also be operating as normal
PHCC’s six Urgent Care Centers – at Gharrafat Al Rayyan, Rawdat Al Khail, Al Gharafa, Al Kaaban, Al Shahaniyah, and Al Shamal Health Centers – will remain open as usual 24 hours a day seven days a week for walk-in patients requiring urgent care
About changes to outpatient services at Hamad Medical Corporation it said that all patients with scheduled outpatient appointments will continue to receive a consultation by one of our doctors.
However, all outpatient appointments will be delivered via telephone consultations. Therefore, patients should not come to 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.
For any enquiries relating to changes in outpatient services, call HMC’s Nesmaak customer care team on 16060.
All elective surgeries, day surgeries, elective procedures like endoscopy and dental have been cancelled. It added that cancelled surgeries will be rescheduled for a later date.
Regarding the inpatient visitor policy, MoPH said that in order to limit the potential spread of COVID-19, additional restrictions for visitors to Inpatient Units are now in place across HMC hospitals.
All HMC Emergency Departments (including Pediatric Care Centers) 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,” said MoPH.
Patients with suspected COVID-19 should call the MOPH hotline on 16000, it added.
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 are 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.
