Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has implemented a proactive plan since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak in Qatar to significantly expand its hospital capacity.
Accordingly, the expansion plan has seen HMC’s total bed capacity grow from 2,250 beds to a maximum 4,860 beds, if needed.
This was highlighted by Dr Ahmed al-Mohamed, acting chairman of HMC’s Intensive Care Units, while addressing a press conference yesterday along with Dr Abdullatif al-Khal, chair of the National Strategic Group on Covid-19 and head of the Infectious Diseases Division at HMC.
Five hospitals have been designated as Covid-19 facilities in line with this plan: the Communicable Disease Center, Hazm Mebaireek General Hospital, The Cuban Hospital, Mesaieed Hospital and Ras Laffan Hospital.
“By dedicating hospitals as Covid-19 facilities, we can not only provide better care for Covid-19 patients in a small number of hospitals but also ensure that patients using other hospitals for non-Covid-19 services can do so safely,” he stressed.
“We have also focused on expanding our Intensive Care Unit capacity to ensure we can treat the most critically ill patients. We have the potential to more than triple our normal ICU capacity, if needed,” he continued.
Dr al-Mohamed said “our teams are working tirelessly across the healthcare system to combat the spread of Covid-19”. “Yet, despite this focus, we continue to deliver many essential services as normal,” he pointed out. “For example, our cancer, ambulance, heart and emergency teams continue to deliver care to thousands of patients every day.”
“We want people to know it is vitally important that they continue to seek medical care as and when they require it,” he added.