Qatar has always shown tremendous and laudable sense of responsibility when it comes to provision of care to its elderly population. Through a number of health and social welfare initiatives, the government of Qatar is providing best possible care to its elderly people thus setting an example for those countries of the world where this segment of society usually faces hardship and neglect.
Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani on Thursday officially inaugurated Daam Specialized Care Center, a first of its kind facility in the Middle East to care elderly patients who require long-term medical care outside of the hospital setting.
Earlier a number of healthcare services are already available for elderly people of the country like Geriatric and Long-Term Care Department at HMC, HMC’s Falls Prevention Clinic, Private Nursing Service and Home Health Care Service, Enaya Specialized Care Centers among others. The Daam Specialized Care Center under the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) will provide an advanced care system for patients above the age of 60 and who are well enough to be discharged from hospital but still require specialized medical treatment that is often long term.
The new facility will accommodate 68 patients in 44 private rooms providing occupational therapy, recreational therapy, physiotherapy, and medical and nursing care, all in a comfortable, home-like environment.
“Unlike a traditional hospital environment, the Daam Specialized Care Center has been tailored to meet the needs of our longer-term care patients. The Daam Specialized Care Center joins HMC’s existing Enaya Specialized Care Centers, which have been caring for patients since 2010,” said the Minister of Public Health H E Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari.
Working for many years, Enaya Specialized Care Center also provides an advanced care system for long-term patients with chronic illnesses and degenerative diseases that restrict their ability to care for themselves. In response to Qatar’s growing elderly population, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) continuously expanding its geriatric medicine services with the Geriatric and Long-Term Care Department now operating across multiple sites and hospitals.
In the same manner, HMC’s Falls Prevention Clinic, located at Rumailah Hospital and the first clinic of its type in the country, is an important element of HMC’s elder care services. Separately, Private Nursing Service and Home Health Care Service at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) provide multidisciplinary homecare focusing on improving mobility, physical, and mental health of elderly patients.
