* Expansion works will help meet increased demand for current and future services
* Works began last month and will continue until December 2020
* Significant enhancements will be made to number of key service areas
* Works include establishment of new National Diabetes Center and Physiotherapy Center


Al Khor Hospital has embarked on an 18-month-long construction programme as part of a major expansion effort aimed at enhancing the patient experience and reducing the wait time and length of stay, as well as improving access to specialised medical care for the population living in and around Al Khor. 
Opened in 2005 as one of Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) community hospitals, the 115-bed Al Khor Hospital provides general medicine, surgical, emergency medicine, paediatrics and obstetric services to residents living in the northern part of the country.
Activity has continued to increase at Al Khor Hospital in recent years and in 2018 care was provided with more than 93,000 outpatient appointments and more than 220,000 Emergency Department visits. 
The expansion works, which commenced last month, will help the hospital meet the increased demand for current and future services, HMC has said in a statement.
“The expansion work has now begun and is part of HMC’s overall expansion programme aimed at enhancing the experience of patients. These renovations will also allow us to provide faster access to high-quality specialist services at Al Khor Hospital,” said Mohamed al-Jusaiman, deputy chief of HMC’s General Hospitals Group and chief executive officer of Al Khor Hospital.
Al-Jusaiman explained that the construction works, which will continue until December 2020, involve significant enhancements to a number of key service areas, including the Intensive Care Unit and waiting area, the Emergency Department, pharmacy, labour room, clinical imaging section, catering and reception area. The works also include the establishment of a new National Diabetes Center and a Physiotherapy Center, and the expansion of the dentistry service.
“These expansion works are extensive and we are asking our patients, as well as members of the larger Al Khor community, to bear with us as we work to improve services. These construction works will include extending our Intensive Care Unit and enhancing areas within the Emergency Department. There are also plans to expand the Day Care Unit, Dialysis Unit and the Paediatric Emergency Center. This work is being done in accordance with international standards and will improve our ability to care for our patients. It will also help reduce the patient length of stay and enhance our patients’ overall hospital experience,” noted al-Jusaiman.
He maintained that the planned National Diabetes Center will enable more patients to receive specialised diabetes care closer to their home and will also help reduce waiting time. Similarly, the new physiotherapy centre is expected to reduce wait time through the implementation of a new triage system and additional beds for assessment and treatment.
“The expansion programme will also include additions to our labour and delivery services and planned expansions to our dental clinics will complement the existing service. Overall, this expansion programme is about improving access to high-quality specialised care for the population living in and around Al Khor,” added al-Jusaiman.