By Fazeena Saleem
DOHA: The main Paediatric Emergency Centre (PEC) in Al Sadd receives only around 30 percent of emergency cases and among them between two and four percent are in critical condition, said a senior official.
Among them less than one percent of patients are transferred to Hamad General Hospital (HGH) each day for intensive or specialised care.
The remaining 70 percent are non-emergency cases that can be treated at by Primary Health Centers, Dr Mohamed Al Amri, Assistant Director, Paediatrics Emergency Centres, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) told The Peninsula.
The Al Sadd PEC is one of the busiest hospitals in the country and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It receives between 28,000 and 30,000 patients monthly and in 2015 alone 336,000 patients were treated at the centre.
“We see many cases of respiratory infection and gastroenteritis. We would encourage parents to take their children to their Primary Healthcare Centers in the first instance. Also, if your child is experiencing typical flu symptoms such as mild to moderate fever, sore throat, these can also often be treated in health centers. This is especially the case if the child is aged over 12 months,” said Dr Al Amri.
The most common cases treated at the Al Sadd PEC are viral illnesses, respiratory diseases such as asthma, bronchiolitis and croup. Children with gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea are also treated. The centre also receives children with seizures, diabetes and complications as well as fever and jaundice. “The criteria for transfers to HGH are either the patient needs to be in the Intensive Care Unit or the patient requires specific procedures or specialised testing for example a bronchoscopy or gastrointestinal tests,” said Dr Al Amri.
The new expansion at the Al Sadd PEC has provided 25 percent more space as well as with an extra 22 new beds across 13 treatment rooms, six triage rooms, an emergency procedure room and an isolation unit, bringing the total number of beds in the facility to 86. It is staffed by 216 nurses and 65 dedicated doctors. Also, the upgraded facility has a bigger family waiting area, separate male and female waiting areas and a larger pharmacy.
“Due to this increase in capacity, the Al Saad PEC expansion has meant that patients are already seeing the difference with decreased waiting times and faster access to care. We are always looking at ways to improve our services and deliver quality care to our patients,” said Dr Al Amri. Besides the main PEC in Al Sadd, other centres are located in Al Daayen, Al Rayaan, Al Shamal, Airport area and treat children under 14 years of age.
The Peninsula
By Fazeena Saleem
DOHA: The main Paediatric Emergency Centre (PEC) in Al Sadd receives only around 30 percent of emergency cases and among them between two and four percent are in critical condition, said a senior official.
Among them less than one percent of patients are transferred to Hamad General Hospital (HGH) each day for intensive or specialised care.
The remaining 70 percent are non-emergency cases that can be treated at by Primary Health Centers, Dr Mohamed Al Amri, Assistant Director, Paediatrics Emergency Centres, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) told The Peninsula.
The Al Sadd PEC is one of the busiest hospitals in the country and is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It receives between 28,000 and 30,000 patients monthly and in 2015 alone 336,000 patients were treated at the centre.
“We see many cases of respiratory infection and gastroenteritis. We would encourage parents to take their children to their Primary Healthcare Centers in the first instance. Also, if your child is experiencing typical flu symptoms such as mild to moderate fever, sore throat, these can also often be treated in health centers. This is especially the case if the child is aged over 12 months,” said Dr Al Amri.
The most common cases treated at the Al Sadd PEC are viral illnesses, respiratory diseases such as asthma, bronchiolitis and croup. Children with gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea are also treated. The centre also receives children with seizures, diabetes and complications as well as fever and jaundice. “The criteria for transfers to HGH are either the patient needs to be in the Intensive Care Unit or the patient requires specific procedures or specialised testing for example a bronchoscopy or gastrointestinal tests,” said Dr Al Amri.
The new expansion at the Al Sadd PEC has provided 25 percent more space as well as with an extra 22 new beds across 13 treatment rooms, six triage rooms, an emergency procedure room and an isolation unit, bringing the total number of beds in the facility to 86. It is staffed by 216 nurses and 65 dedicated doctors. Also, the upgraded facility has a bigger family waiting area, separate male and female waiting areas and a larger pharmacy.
“Due to this increase in capacity, the Al Saad PEC expansion has meant that patients are already seeing the difference with decreased waiting times and faster access to care. We are always looking at ways to improve our services and deliver quality care to our patients,” said Dr Al Amri. Besides the main PEC in Al Sadd, other centres are located in Al Daayen, Al Rayaan, Al Shamal, Airport area and treat children under 14 years of age.
The Peninsula
