Qatar’s only dedicated Burns Unit, located at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC)'s Al Wakra Hospital, received 7,900 patients at its outpatient clinics last year.

Staff also cared for 108 patients with burn-related injuries who were treated in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, 263 patients who required surgical intervention, 230 patients who were treated as inpatients and 175 patients who received reconstructive burn treatment at Al Wakra Hospital’s Plastic Surgery Division, according to a press statement.

“Each year, our Burns Unit provides comprehensive burn care to patients of all ages. We treat patients from the time of acute injury through to long-term rehabilitation. Many of our patients are transferred from other hospitals here in Qatar,” said Parwaneh al-Shibani, assistant executive director of nursing at Al Wakra Hospital.


Parwaneh al-Shibani

Between January and June of this year, the Burns Unit received 4,340 patients at its outpatient clinics. Al-Shibani said that in the case of paediatric patients with burn injuries, staff at the Burns Unit work closely with the Paediatric Emergency Centres and Sidra Medicine.

“In addition to the burn care provided by our specialised team of doctors, nurses and physiotherapists, we work closely with government agencies, including the General Directorate of Civil Defence, Ministry of Education and Higher Education, and Primary Health Care Corporation, as part of our programme to prevent burn injuries,” said al-Shibani.

“Through our public education efforts, we are working to prevent burn injuries and to provide information about the importance of the timely and adequate treatment of burns. As part of our public education programme we also work to correct misconceptions about the treatment of burn injuries in order to reduce complications that can be caused by the improper treatment of burns,” added al-Shibani.

The Burns Unit at Al Wakra Hospital was relocated from Rumailah Hospital in 2014. The facility was moved to Al Wakra as part of HMC’s efforts to transform many of its key clinical services in response to managing the healthcare requirements of Qatar’s growing population.

The modern, purpose-built facility uses the latest equipment and techniques to treat both severely burned patients and those with minor burn related injuries. Situated over two floors at Al Waka Hospital, the Burns Unit has a dedicated operating room, inpatient rooms, an occupational therapy room, consulting rooms for outpatients, and reception and recovery spaces.



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