Qatar’s healthcare sector is serving more patients than ever before

Qatar’s population grew by one million between 2012 and 2022 and to support this growth healthcare teams across Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) are treating more patients than ever before.
Since 2016, HMC has opened eight new hospitals and PHCC has opened 13 new health centres. Both organisations have expanded the clinical and wellness services giving citizens and residents of Qatar unparalleled access to world class medical care.
At HMC, the number of outpatient’s department visits more than doubled in a decade, increasing from 1.4mn in 2012 to 3.3mn in 2022. And, between 2017 and 2022 alone, the number of outpatient department visits at HMC increased by 47%.
Also, the number of surgeries performed by HMC teams increased by 30% between 2017 and 2022. The number of emergency department visits to HMC hospitals also increased from 1.1mn to 1.44mn over the 10 years from 2012 to 2022.
PHCC has also witnessed continued growth across its services, with a substantial increase in patient numbers and healthcare services over the past few years. The latest data reveals a surge in patient registrations, appointments, and wellness visits.
In 2019, PHCC operated 27 Health centres and registered 1,423,575 patients and by 2022 the number of health centres increased to 30 and registered patient number surged by 20%, with 1,709,756 patients now receiving care within the health centre's compassionate and dedicated environment.
With the opening of the new Al Sadd Health Centre early this year, PHCC currently operates 31 health centres .
Appointment numbers also demonstrate huge growth. In 2019, PHCC administered 5,382,738 appointments, by 2022, this number had risen by 12%, with a total of 6,010,181 appointments being scheduled.
Additionally, PHCC has focused on promoting wellness within the community. In 2019, the centre conducted 6,092 wellness visits. This commitment to preventive care has seen a steady increase by 2022, with 41,150 wellness visits aimed at enhancing the overall health and well-being of patients.
Dr Abdullah al-Ansari, HMC’s chief medical officer said : “In recent years, Qatar’s population has expanded significantly, increasing demand for healthcare services. As a result, the country’s healthcare sector has seen remarkable growth since and is delivering high quality care to more patients than ever before.
“HMC has grown from one hospital, Rumailah Hospital, in 1979 to 15 hospitals at present while the number of patients being cared for by our teams has grown at an exponential rate. We have continued to make progress increasing capacity and advancing the quality of care we provide to our patients.”
Dr Samya Abdulla, senior consultant family physician, executive director of operations at PHCC added: “ A core aspect of primary health care is that it operates in the local community, integrating health services to meet people’s health need as well empowering individuals, families, and communities to take charge of their own health. These statistics represents a fundamental shift from health care delivery focused on treating disease toward a health system promoting prevention and wellness.”