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CATHERINE W GICHUKI
DOHA
A 200-bed field hospital that can receive between 2,000 and 3,000 patients every day opened in Industrial Area on Monday. The facility, which was set up in just four weeks, is fully equipped to treat coronavirus (COVID-19) cases as well as patients with other ailments.
The hospital has 200 staff, including doctors and nurses. It also has an ambulance station.
Speaking to media persons during a tour of the facility, Dr Khalid Abdulnoor Saifeldeen, the National Lead for Health Care Sector in the lockdown area, said: “The whole system has been changed during this COVID-19 pandemic. This area is also under lockdown. So, we felt that we needed to provide them (people of the area) with alternative access to normal care.”
Dr Khalid, who is also the Director of Hamad International Training Centre (HITC), said, the field hospital has a medication refill system, outpatient clinic, emergency department, observation unit. However, this facility can’t provide critical care or treatment in case of major trauma.
“Very sick patients, even COVID-19 cases, can be transferred to dedicated hospitals like Hazm Mebaireek General Hospital and others. This hospital complements the other hospitals and eases pressure on them. We will see injuries, falls although it doesn’t have trauma and critical care unit,” he said.
Dr Saifeldeen hoped the hospital would expand in future as well.
The hospital is a relatively a long-term one until they decide a strategy for it and they have a discussion whether to make it a permanent hospital, he said.
“This actually created an opportunity for us to consider providing them care in a different way – closer to them.”
According to him, the entire HITC staff is volunteering at the facility.
“As soon as the COVID-19 crisis emerged, like others in the system, we thought of how we could support in this endeavour as part of our national responsibility.”
Emergency Medicine Consultant Dr Rahma Salim said the hospital has an emergency department, COVID-19 track to asses and do swab test for suspected people.
It also has a holding facility with about 80 beds which can accommodate suspected COVID-19 people for 24 hours until the test results are received.
There is an adjoining quarantine facility which can accommodate 300-400 people for two to four weeks.
The field hospital is mainly for male workers in the area but any emergency cases of women and children can be attended to.
DOHA
A 200-bed field hospital that can receive between 2,000 and 3,000 patients every day opened in Industrial Area on Monday. The facility, which was set up in just four weeks, is fully equipped to treat coronavirus (COVID-19) cases as well as patients with other ailments.
The hospital has 200 staff, including doctors and nurses. It also has an ambulance station.
Speaking to media persons during a tour of the facility, Dr Khalid Abdulnoor Saifeldeen, the National Lead for Health Care Sector in the lockdown area, said: “The whole system has been changed during this COVID-19 pandemic. This area is also under lockdown. So, we felt that we needed to provide them (people of the area) with alternative access to normal care.”
Dr Khalid, who is also the Director of Hamad International Training Centre (HITC), said, the field hospital has a medication refill system, outpatient clinic, emergency department, observation unit. However, this facility can’t provide critical care or treatment in case of major trauma.
“Very sick patients, even COVID-19 cases, can be transferred to dedicated hospitals like Hazm Mebaireek General Hospital and others. This hospital complements the other hospitals and eases pressure on them. We will see injuries, falls although it doesn’t have trauma and critical care unit,” he said.
Dr Saifeldeen hoped the hospital would expand in future as well.
The hospital is a relatively a long-term one until they decide a strategy for it and they have a discussion whether to make it a permanent hospital, he said.
“This actually created an opportunity for us to consider providing them care in a different way – closer to them.”
According to him, the entire HITC staff is volunteering at the facility.
“As soon as the COVID-19 crisis emerged, like others in the system, we thought of how we could support in this endeavour as part of our national responsibility.”
Emergency Medicine Consultant Dr Rahma Salim said the hospital has an emergency department, COVID-19 track to asses and do swab test for suspected people.
It also has a holding facility with about 80 beds which can accommodate suspected COVID-19 people for 24 hours until the test results are received.
There is an adjoining quarantine facility which can accommodate 300-400 people for two to four weeks.
The field hospital is mainly for male workers in the area but any emergency cases of women and children can be attended to.
