*Opening of Hazm Mebaireek General Hospital an important milestone for public healthcare system, says Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari

HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani on Thursday inaugurated the Hazm Mebaireek General Hospital of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) in the heart of Doha's Industrial Area.

The Prime Minister toured the hospital where he was briefed about the services provided to people.

He also visited the hospital's various specialised clinics and facilities.

The 118-bed hospital which has an emergency department, inpatient and intensive care units, can treat hundreds of patients daily, provide the best healthcare and enhance the capacity of the entire healthcare system within Hamad Medical Corporation's network of hospitals.

The hospital also has a helipad which enables critically ill patients to be flown to Hamad General Hospital within seven minutes.

The same journey by regular ambulance would take 40 minutes due to the often heavy traffic in the Industrial Area.

The Prime Minister was accompanied by HE the Minister of Public Health Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari, HE the Minister of Administrative Development, Labour and Social Affairs Yousef bin Mohamed al-Othman Fakhroo and senior officials of the Ministry and HMC.

The Public Health Minister said the opening of the hospital in the Industrial Area was a continuation of the State's efforts to provide the highest levels of healthcare to all.

Dr al-Kuwari said the new hospital represented an important milestone for both Qatar and the public healthcare system.

"It is almost one year ago to the day that we saw the official opening of our new Medical City hospitals and it gives me a great sense of pride as we approach the occasion of Qatar National Day to be here to celebrate the opening of Qatar's newest hospital," she said.

"Our journey to provide the best possible healthcare to all goes from strength to strength and the opening of Hazm Mebaireek General Hospital is another example of this success. It is a result of successful collaborations between many stakeholders. I wish to thank the teams at the Ministry of Public Health and Hamad Medical Corporation who worked together to create a hospital to serve the needs of this community."

HMC's Chief of Healthcare Facilities Hamad al-Khalifa said "over the past few years, HMC has expanded and improved its facilities and services at an unprecedented rate. Much of the drive behind this growth has been the need to care for an ever increasing number of patients as a result of Qatar's rapidly expanding population."

Wilson Ross, acting CEO of the new hospital also highlighted the significance of the new facility.

"Since welcoming our first outpatients in September we have seen a gradual ramp-up in hospital activity. This has included the start of some inpatient and emergency services as well as the final stages of preparation for the launch of our surgical services which will commence early next year," he said.

As patient numbers at Hazm Mebaireek General Hospital continue to increase, we have started to see a reduction in pressure on other hospitals across the HMC network, and particularly on the Emergency Department in Hamad General Hospital," Ross said.

Executive Director of of the hospital Hussein Ishaq also highlighted the significance of having a hospital located in the heart of the Industrial Area community.

"Our new hospital welcomes all adult male patients, providing them with access to the highest quality treatment and care within their community. This will mean that those living or working in the Industrial Area will no longer need to travel to Doha for emergency care and other specialist services."

By bringing care closer to where it is needed in the community, HMC's newest hospital is expected to alleviate some of the demand on other hospitals in the country, particularly emergency services at Hamad General Hospital and Al Wakra Hospital.

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