Doha: Community mental health services for children and adolescents have received a boost with the inauguration of the Enaya Continuing Care Center in Muaither, said Dr. Majid Al Abdulla, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) Deputy Chair Mental Health Services.
The opening of the center is considered a milestone for mental health services in Qatar where community-based mental health care is now available in a home-like environment for the first time, a service that is expected to grow in the future.
The child and adolescent mental health section at the new center is a multi-disciplinary outpatient service catering to children and adolescents up to the age of 18, said Dr. Abdulla. "Treatment of child and adolescents in a community setting for conditions such and ADHD and other mood disorders can help to remove the stigma of mental illness, by replacing the institution with a home-like environment and putting young patients at ease with the process of recovery," said Dr. Abdulla.
"The new community-based facility had a successful soft opening prior to its official inauguration, and with the blueprint now tried and tested, we’re likely to see similar facilities opening in other parts of the country soon," added Dr. Abdulla.
"The Enaya Continuing Care Center also provides home care and family meetings, and in addition this center will be used to train doctors in this very advanced subspecialty." Access to the services is by referral through either a Primary Health Care Corporation center, private clinic, or an HMC service such as the pediatric department at Hamad General Hospital or through HMC’s Psychiatry Department.
The recently inaugurated continuing care center was also a key contributor in the accreditation of HMC by U.S.-based Joints Commission International (JCI), according to Continuing Care Group Chief Mahmoud Al Raisi. "Our audit was rigorous and achieving this accreditation involved months of hard work and co-operation from various departments. This is a great illustration of excellent teamwork and commitment to quality, and provides evidence of the maturity of our healthcare services," said Al Raisi.
QNA
