With a focus on enhancing care for newborns in Qatar, the country has been successfully running the first of its kind nationwide emergency transportation service in the region, the Qatar Neonatal Transport Program, since 2015.

In a press statement, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) highlighted that from the time the program was launched until now, it has safely transported 950 newborns from various healthcare facilities in Qatar and other countries within the region for tertiary level care at the Women’s Wellness and Research Center (WWRC) as well as abroad.

The high acuity transportation service was launched with the aim of transporting high-risk preterm babies from other private and public hospitals to WWRC to ensure they receive urgent specialist care.

WWRC’s Acting Director of NICU, Dr Mai Al Qubaisi, said, "Since we started the program six years ago, 956 fragile neonates have been transported between maternity facilities in Qatar. This means between 150 to180 neonates are transported yearly and the number is expected to continue to increase within the coming years."

"The availability of an organized neonatal transport program is of great benefit to these fragile neonates as it improves their chance of survival and reduces their medical complications," she described.

Qatar Neonatal Transport Program, first of its kind nationwide emergency transportation service in Middle East, safely transported over 950 neonates from different public & private healthcare facilities in Qatar & from other countries in the region. #QNAhttps://t.co/B1MV3sNdoL pic.twitter.com/q5G2A9siID

— Qatar News Agency (@QNAEnglish) April 20, 2021

WWRC’s Acting Chief Executive Officer and Medical Director, Dr Hilal Amin Al Rifai said that HMC has one tertiary level maternity hospital (WWRC) and three general maternity hospitals (Al Khor Hospital, Al Wakra Hospital and The Cuban Hospital). They all receive pregnant women and ensure they safely deliver their babies.

"However, the Qatar Neonatal Transport Program offers all these general maternity hospitals as well as Sidra Medicine and all major private clinics with birth units a crucial time-saving service to bring any at-risk babies to the specialist treatment available at WWRC as quickly as possible," he highlighted.

Qatar Neonatal Transport Program Director, Dr Fouad Abounahia underlined the importance of the program in delivering quick tertiary care services to full term and preterm newborns.

The newborns in need of the transportation service could have congenital or surgical anomalies, respiratory distress or could require an emergency invasive surgery.

"The existence of Qatar Neonatal Transport Program and centralization of neonatal transport services within the country, allow us to deliver tertiary care services to these fragile infants as early as possible and to improve the neonatal interfacility transport process, patients’ outcome and the quality of care of these critically ill newborns. Once we receive a call from the referring hospital, the transport team is able to mobilize very quickly," he added.

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Cover Image Credit and Source: HMC