New Al Waab health centre to cater to 35,000 people
PM inaugurates new facility which has smart medical examination clinics
Imparting a strategic boost to Qatar’s healthcare sector, HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani yesterday inaugurated the Al Waab Health Centre, which can cater to 35,000 people.
The 7,903sqm healthcare facility is the 26th in the country and will serve residents of the densely populated Waab Zone 55 area, Azizya, Freej Al Soudan 55 and 54, and Mehairja.
HE Sheikh Abdullah toured various sections of the new health centre and was briefed on its specialty clinics, medical services and other facilities such as smart medical examination clinics, dental services, audiology and physiotherapy, rehabilitation, and patient electronic portal, among others.
He was accompanied by HE the Minister of Public Health Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari and a number of senior officials from the ministry and Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), as well as some Central Municipal Council members.
Speaking to reporters at a media tour, Al Waab Health Centre director Dr Mariam Saif al-Musallam said the new facility will help decongest the neighbouring health centres.
“We already have 8,000 people who registered at a rate of 300 a day, and we have 20 physicians who will be serving our patients,” she noted, adding that some 40 nurses, 15 administration staff, eight pharmacists, 10 laboratory staff, an optometrist, a dietician, a surgeon and seven dental doctors also serve the Centre.
The number of medical staff is expected to increase once the Centre reaches its full capacity, the director said.
The Al Waab Health Centre also has family medicine clinics, non-tertiary diseases clinics, women’s health clinic, follow-up of pregnant and postnatal care, child clinic, vaccination and routine immunisation clinic, dental clinics, and nutrition.
Supporting medical services such as health education, radiology, ultrasound imaging for pregnant women, and treatment for gynaecological problems, among others, are also available at the Centre.
Dr al-Musallam noted that family medicine clinics aim to provide a continuity of healthcare for patients, who may not be required to visit the Centre frequently.
“This is part of primary healthcare’s efforts to expand geographically and ease the access to quality healthcare services for all patients in Qatar,” she said.
Lead physician Dr Elham al-Emadi and administration support head Johara Hamad Fetais said these clinics will have dedicated doctors monitoring the patients.
In a statement issued earlier, the PHCC noted that this model of practice provides a patient-centred team approach, great potential to transform the ability of family medicine to improve the health and healthcare of the nation.
A family medicine practice will enhance the patient experience, eliminating barriers to access service, providing an advanced information systems, with a focus on doctor, patient relationship, quality and outcomes, the PHCC said.
The PHCC opened two health centres in the first half of this year, in Al Wajba and Muaither. (With inputs from QNA).
HE the Minister of Public Health Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari has reiterated Qatar’s keenness in providing the best healthcare services to its residents, highlighting the significant progress achieved in the health system.
In a press statement she explained that the opening of Al Waab Health Centre yesterday forms part of the large expansion plans in health facilities in Qatar, which focuses on achieving the aims of the National Vision 2030.
She noted that the opening of primary healthcare centres in different parts of the country ensures that all residents receive high-quality care in facilities close to their homes.
“This is to achieve our health strategies that emphasise primary care as a key focus of the healthcare model,” the Minister stressed. Under the patronage of HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani, the Al Waab Health Centre’s opening confirms the primary healthcare’s commitment to the geographical expansion process and its keenness to facilitate access to health services for all patients, she stated. HE Dr al-Kuwari pointed out that the comprehensive and integrated services in new health centres, which are person-centred and work in partnership with individuals, families and the community, have been taken into account to improve health and well-being of residents aimed at achieving the vision of the primary healthcare strategy.
Primary Health Care Corporation’s (PHCC) managing director Dr Mariam Ali Abdulmalik said that Qatar is keen to work in accordance with the directives of the World Health Organisation (WHO), which stressed the importance of primary care as a basis for the modern health system and for achieving the sustainable development goals, which focus on promoting a culture of prevention rather than treatment.
Dr Alabdulmalik described that the National Health Strategy 2018-2022 has established the role of primary healthcare as the first point of contact and the gateway of the patient and his family to the health system.
This is to facilitate the patient’s experience and complete the implementation of the integrated care model aimed at enhancing co-ordination between different healthcare levels, which indicates that PHCC is always striving to provide the best integrated health services with high quality.
Dr Alabdulmalik added that the opening of the Al Waab Health Centre is another step for patients to obtain health services in different geographic areas in a timely manner and in a variety of clinics and services, such as the smart clinic which aims for early detection and prevention of diseases.