By Fazeena Saleem
DOHA: Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) is preparing to open several new outpatient clinics for health conditions which affect old people, as part of expanding services at its Geriatrics Department, says a senior official. At present, the Geriatrics Department at HMC has eight different outpatient clinics and the new ones will treat osteoporosis and parkinson’s disease.
“We are always looking at ways to improve the lives of our patients. As we do across the board at HMC, we are looking to add services and clinics in areas of need. We are preparing to open new clinics for a range of conditions that affect our patients including osteoporosis and parkinson’s,” Dr Hanadi Al Hamad, Acting Chair of Elderly Geriatrics at HMC told this newspaper.
The Geriatrics Department at HMC operates across multiple sites and hospitals and the range of services and specialties is broad and inclusive, she added.
“We are providing new and innovative services like a memory clinic and a falls prevention clinic. The memory clinic is the only one in the region and we are seeing great demand for its innovative approach,” she added. The Geriatrics department also provides HMC’s Home Health Care Services which enable more than 1000 patients to be visited in their homes.
Home visits and emergency visits by a multi-disciplinary team enable elderly patients to retain their independence. “We also provide geriatric care and consultations for old people who are hospitalized and have special needs,” said Dr Al Hamadi.
The department provides its services at Hamad General Hospital (HGH), Rumailah Hospital and the Enaya Specialised Care Centre, opened last year.
Enaya Specialized Care Centre operates a long-term care complex for patients who require round-the-clock monitoring and treatment from specialist nurses and doctors. The centre has two buildings, connected with a bridge. It has four floors connected at the second level and has a capacity of 158 patients. The centre currently has 148 patients, three of them in isolation rooms.
“Enaya Specialized Care Centre is the only one of its type in the country and one of the first in the Arab world. We use a patient-centred care approach with each patient having an individualized care plan,” said Dr Al Hamadi. “Patients are referred to the Enaya Specialized Care Centre from a variety of sources. They could be in need of geriatric services or are long term ventilated patients. Our physicians work within a multi-disciplinary team which includes physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, dieticians and other allied health care professionals,” said Dr Al Hamadi.
The Peninsula
