By Fazeena Saleem
DOHA: The Hamad General Hospital (HGH) will open a new surgical building within this year with a dual rooftop helipad to facilitate patients brought by the ambulance helicopter service, ”according to a senior official.
The new building will open as part of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC)’s Master Plan, which aims to expand and build several new facilities by 2030.
HGH is preparing to expand its current operating theatre capacity and the new theatre facility will have 17 new surgical theatres with three additional specialist theatres as well as two interventional radiology suites, Dr Yousef Maslamani, Medical Director for HGH, told this newspaper.
The new surgical building will integrate with HGH’s existing facilities and other planned developments for the adjacent Emergency Department to facilitate the rapid transfer of emergency patients.
“This facility will also feature dedicated trauma intensive care and surgical intensive care units. There will also be a new dual rooftop helipad to cater for patients arriving with the ambulance helicopter service,” said Dr Maslamani.
As HMC’s largest tertiary hospital, many elements of the Facilities Master Plan involve expanding capacity at HGH.
As part of the Master Plan and expansion of HMC facilities, the Bone and Joint Centre opened recently. It is a branch of HGH and its dedicated team of nurses and healthcare professionals specializes in delivering outpatient services for fractures, paediatric orthopaedic, spine, foot and ankle injuries, anthroplasty (surgery of the joint) and sports medicine.
The National Diabetic Centre in the HGH and Al Wakrah and expansion of the Neonatal Intensive Care were implemented as part of the Master Plan. To meet the healthcare demands of Qatar’s growing population HMC’s Master Plan also aims to increase the number of hospital beds from 2100 to over 4200 by 2030 and the car parking spaces will increase from 8,000 to 24,000. Also number of specialist clinics will increase from 400 to more than 1000.
HMC also planning to open three new specialist hospitals and a translational research centre in Hamad Bin Khalifa Medical City. Construction is progressing on the Ambulatory Care Centre, Women’s Wellness and Research Centre and Qatar Rehabilitation Institute. Once the buildings are finished there will be a period of commissioning which requires the installation of high-tech and complex medical equipment.
A Communicable Diseases Hospital is also planned to open soon. There are a series of facilities in the planning stage in the Master Plan, including renovations and expansions to existing hospitals, a new hospital for tertiary care, a new hospital for cancer care, a new metabolic enter, a new neurosciences centre, new diagnostic and treatment centres, a school of clinical services and expansions to physiotherapy, critical care, children’s services, blood bank and mental health services.
The Peninsula
