Women’s Wellness and Research Center (WWRC), one of Hamad Medical Corporation's new Hamad Bin Khalifa Medical City hospitals, will officially open its Emergency Department on May 11, it has been announced.

It will welcome women who are experiencing an obstetrical or gynaecological emergency, HMC has said in a statement.

“The new Emergency Department at WWRC will significantly expand our capacity and provide our patients with double the space and number of nurses and physicians on staff at Women’s Hospital, which will close to admissions as of 6am on May 11,” said Dr Huda Abdulla al-Saleh, senior consultant, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and executive director, Quality and Safety, at WWRC.

“In addition to enhancing our overall service, we have been working diligently to ensure that women requiring immediate medical attention for an obstetrical or gynaecological emergency can access the care they need in a single location,” she added.

Patients treated in the new 28-bed facility will have access to a larger, more comfortable waiting area. They will also be able to register and pay for their treatment at a cashier counter located within the department and have access to dedicated support services such as advanced clinical imaging, clinical diagnostics and a 24-hour in-house pharmacy.

The Emergency Department will not open until 6am on May 11. So, pregnant women who experience signs of labour before this date and time should call 999 or proceed to the Women’s Hospital Emergency Department.

As of 6am on Friday, May 11, women experiencing an obstetric medical emergency should proceed directly to the Emergency Department. Obstetric medical emergencies may include a sudden onset of abdominal pain, reduced/absent foetal movements at any stage of pregnancy, or any other signs of trauma requiring immediate care.

The Emergency Department will also offer care 24 hours a day, seven days a week for women experiencing a gynaecological emergency.

At the same time, all remaining inpatient services - including Labour and Delivery - will relocate to the new Women’s Wellness and Research Center. All deliveries previously scheduled at Women’s Hospital will take place at the new facility from now on.

All other Women’s Hospital services will close, except for in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), infertility and paediatric audiology clinics, which will remain at their current location until further notice.