As Qatar sees a decline in the number of daily COVID-19 cases, two Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) hospitals discharged the last COVID-19 patients yesterday.

In a statement, HMC said that the last COVID-19 patients at Al Wakra and Ras Laffan Hospitals were discharged on Tuesday.

The two hospitals had been transformed into dedicated COVID-19 facilities to help the country’s health sector tackle the second COVID-19 wave.

In a visit to Al Wakra Hospital, HE Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari underlined the significance of the two hospitals as the country dealt with the second wave.

“As COVID-19 cases rose earlier this year, the number of people requiring hospital admission due to moderate and severe COVID-19 symptoms increased significantly. To ensure the healthcare sector was able to meet this demand, and provide high-quality care to every patient requiring treatment, Ras Laffan and Al Wakra Hospitals were designated as two of the seven COVID-19 facilities,” HE the Minister said.

“With the number of new COVID-19 cases falling consistently in recent weeks, fewer people now require hospital admission for their COVID-19 symptoms. Discharging the last COVID-19 patients from Ras Laffan and Al Wakra Hospitals and recommencing normal services highlights how the combined efforts of the government restrictions, roll-out of the vaccination program and the community’s adherence to preventive measures have all helped to suppress this second wave,” she said.

HE Dr Al Kuwari congratulated the hospitals’ staff for their tireless efforts to provide the very best standard of care to thousands of COVID-19 patients.

As a part of her visit, HE the Minister met with senior leadership team at the hospitals and presented a plaque of appreciation to acknowledge the staff’s exemplary work.

She also met with two patients who had received care at the hospitals.

HMC’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr Abdulla Al Ansari, commented, “Converting Al Wakra Hospital to a COVID-19 facility was a difficult but important decision that needed to be taken to ensure our community were better cared for, at a time of uncertainty.

“Patients have been cared for at Ras Laffan and Al Wakra Hospitals since their designation as COVID-19 facilities in this second wave. The entire process of transforming both these hospitals into COVID-19 facilities has been delivered through the hard work and commitment of hundreds of healthcare staff including doctors, nurses, and a wide range of support staff.”

Clinical Lead for Ras Laffan Hospital, Dr Khaled Al Jalham said, “Ras Laffan Hospital has been one of the dedicated COVID-19 facilities in both the first and second waves of the virus in Qatar. Since the start of the pandemic our healthcare teams at Ras Laffan have cared for more than 8,000 patients with COVID-19.

“Each and every member of staff has made an important contribution to the healthcare sector’s overall response to COVID-19. By boosting bed capacity across our system and delivering high-quality care without delay to any patient in need of medical care, we have been able to have one of the lowest COVID-19 mortality rates in the world. I am enormously proud of the team at Ras Laffan,” he said.

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Cover, Inline Images Credit and Source: HMC