As part of the ongoing expansion of services and facilities across Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), Minister of Public Health HE Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari inaugurated two new services at the Heart Hospital and the National Center for Cancer Care and Research (NCCCR).

The two new facilities added last week are a state-of-the-art Cardiac MRI Suite and a new chemotherapy robotic pharmacy.
HE the Minister also toured the recently relocated Audiology and Balance Department at the Ambulatory Care Center (ACC), viewing some of the equipment and services available to patients. 
She said HMC is expanding and developing its services and facilities to meet the demands of Qatar’s growing population. 
The newly-opened Cardiac MRI Suite at Heart Hospital will provide comprehensive inpatient and outpatient diagnostic services for patients. The purpose-built, high-tech magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) suite is the first of its kind at HMC and will deliver the latest MRI technology for noninvasive imaging of the heart and vascular system. 
“Having a dedicated Cardiac MRI Suite at Heart Hospital means that inpatients do not need to be transported to other facilities for this kind of procedure,” said Dr al-Kuwari. 
Dr Maryam al-Kuwari, Senior Consultant, Cardiac Imaging and Chief Radiologist at HMC said that when fully operational, the dedicated Cardiac MRI Suite will perform upwards of six MRI scans a day.


Minister of Public Health opens the robotic pharmacy at NCCCR


Last week also saw the minister inaugurate a new chemotherapy robotic pharmacy at NCCCR. The pharmacy robot – the second of its kind in the region – uses a robotic arm to mix the highly toxic medications used in chemotherapy and deposits them in IV bags, vials, and syringes. 
Chemotherapy medications are among the most complicated and toxic drugs used in oncology care. The high-tech chemotherapy robot will help eliminate human error and protect pharmacists from these potentially dangerous medications. 
When fully operational, the chemotherapy robotic pharmacy system can prepare chemotherapy treatments for between 40 and 50 patients each day.
The robot performs weight and barcode checks to ensure doses are accurate and complete, improving both patient safety and patient experience. 
The doses are double checked by staff before being dispensed and administered to patients. The system is integrated with the Cerner patient information system which further ensures patient safety. 
HE the minister also visited the newly relocated Audiology and Balance Department at the Ambulatory Care Center (ACC). The department’s new Medical City location is now home to all audiology and balance services previously offered at Rumailah Hospital, including all hearing tests as well as the audiology, baby, dizzy and tinnitus clinics, and advanced vestibular rehabilitation services, including a lab for the rehabilitation and treatment of the ever-increasing number of patients with dizziness-related disorders.
Although all audiology and balance services have now transferred from Rumailah Hospital to the Ambulatory Care Center, services offered at Building 316 on HMC’s Medical City campus will remain at that location.