Al Wakra Hospital, part of Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) network of community-based hospitals, has announced the establishment of a specialised Urinary Stone Center. The first of its kind in the Middle East, the Urinary Stone Center provides patients with the latest developments in the diagnosis and treatment of urinary stones and related urological conditions.
The new centre will receive patients from 7am to 7pm, with three morning clinics and two afternoon clinics. It is staffed by 13 doctors specialising in urology as well as nurses and trained technicians. Patients will be referred from emergency departments, HMC outpatient departments as well as the PHCC and private hospital clinics.
Urinary stones begin to form in the kidney. Depending on where a stone is located, it may be called a kidney stone, ureteral stone, or bladder stone. Each year, thousands of patients across the region are hospitalised for stones in their urinary tract.
Dr Ahmad Shamsodini, senior consultant and chairman of Al Wakra Hospital’s Surgical Divisions said the Urinary Stone Centre has been established to provide the highest quality patient care for urologic cases and to meet the needs of patients with urinary stones.
“Around 78% of the operations performed by the urology division are because of urinary stones. The establishment of the new clinics will relieve stress on emergency departments as well as health centres. Our new centre will offer an integrated treatment programme for patients. Our team of specially trained clinicians use cutting-edge technology to provide personalised, patient-centred care for men and women with a variety of urological conditions,” said Dr Shamsodini.
He said that the centre will provide patients with the most advanced techniques in the diagnosis and treatment of urinary stones, including minimally invasive robotic-assisted surgery.
“At the new centre, we will introduce robot-assisted urological surgery — an emerging and safe technology that uses a flexible telescope (ureteroscope) to successfully treat a number of urological conditions.
A laser is used to fragment stones in the urinary system,” added Dr Shamsodini.
In addition to providing care for patients with a variety of urological problems, including follow-up treatment, the Centre’s staff will also educate patients about the importance of lifestyle modification, specifically related to diet and exercise, as a strategy to prevent future urinary stones.