The semiannual report released by the Hamad bin Khalifa Hospital in Boutilimit, Mauritania, said a total of 41,564 people benefited from its service aimed at improving the health conditions of the local communities of Boutilimit and neighboring regions.
Operated and managed by Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS), with funding from Education Above All (EAA), the hospital relies on its own resources and infrastructure, with a workforce of 82 specialist physicians, nurses, assistants, social workers, and administrative staff.
The hospital has four medical divisions: outpatient, inpatient, technical, and emergency. There are six outpatient clinics of internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, dermatology, general surgery, orthopedics, and dental medicine.
The report reviewed in detail the performance and tasks of its various departments and the distinguished development and achievements it achieved during the aforementioned period for the benefit of the various patients, stressing that the performance indicators show that the hospital has been able to achieve one of its main goals by reducing referrals to major hospitals in the capital, Nouakchott, depending on its own capabilities.
Currently, the hospital has a capacity of 54 beds in four recovery departments (internal, pediatrics, Ob-Gyn, and general surgery). The reported period saw 2,828 inpatients, with a total of 6,749 stay days. The bed occupancy rate was 69 percent. As the hospital pays great attention to maternal and child health, the Ob-Gyn department managed 693 births, including 148 C-sections, with a surgical intervention percentage of 20 percent, which is much less than national figures, reflecting the improved performance of the department.
According to the report, the hospital continued to provide training for the students of public health schools, such as the schools of public health in Nouakchott, Rosso, and Kiffa. To ensure the sustainability of professional capacity-building, the hospital took part in many training courses with other organizations and organized internship and field training programs for nurses.
In relation to social care, the Social Affairs Department assisted 380 poor patients to get access to vital health services. Under a partnership agreement with the National Reproductive Health Program, health care was given to 3,058 pregnant women across Boutilimit.
Since the beginning of 2023, the hospital has been engaged under the national health initiative to combat viral inflammations, by developing an automatic mechanism to vaccinate all newborns prior to discharge. Over six months, the new mechanism had a coverage rate of 100 percent.
There were public awareness interventions to promote preventive health practices in the face of pandemic risks. To protect the health workers, informative courses were held on the basic rules of hemorrhagic fever prevention and what to do when dealing with a positive case. Also, tips and educational posters were put everywhere on the hospital's premises.
The Hamad bin Khalifa Hospital was established in 2007, under the supervision of, and with support from EAA. It pursues the strategic goal of providing high-quality health care at affordable prices for the poor, to avoid the need to travel for treatment in Nouakchott or abroad.
