Children accompanied only by housemaids or drivers will not be treated at the Paediatric Emergency Centres (PECs) of the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) from April 1, local Arabic daily Arrayah reported yesterday. Dr Mohamed al-Amiri, consultant, paediatric emergency and assistant director of PECs, HMC, was quoted as saying it had recently been noticed that some children were brought to the PECs by drivers or housemaids alone. “This practice has to change as doctors often fail to get answers to  questions about  the condition of the child or the history of any allergy to medicines from the accompanying drivers or  housemaids,” he explained. Dr al-Amiri clarified that though critically-ill children would be treated, irrespective of whether they were accompanied by their parents or not, children suffering from minor illnesses would only undergo routine medical examinations until one of the parents arrived.

Related Story