Health Minister visits Al Wakra Hospital following its designation as a COVID-19 facility

With Qatar facing the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic and the number of daily cases and hospital admissions rising, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) recently designated Al Wakra Hospital as a COVID-19 facility.

Al Wakra Hospital becomes the seventh HMC facility dedicated to the care and management of COVID-19 patients in Qatar.

The hospital’s emergency department has been closed since Friday, April 2, and most of the services have been transferred to other hospitals in the public healthcare sector.

Yesterday, Her Excellency the Minister of Public Health Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari visited Al Wakra Hospital to meet senior officials of HMC’s Tactical Command Group and the hospital’s leadership.

“The designation of Al Wakra Hospital, one of the largest hospitals in HMC's network, means we now have seven facilities solely dedicated to providing medical care and support for COVID-19 patients,” HE the Minister commented.

"We have taken a proactive approach to our capacity expansion strategy throughout the pandemic, ensuring that we always have sufficient bed capacity to meet any future increases in demand for hospital admission,” she affirmed.

Over 2,100 COVID-19 patients are receiving care at HMC hospitals, with more than 400 admitted to intensive care, HE Dr Al Kuwari highlighted.

“By adding Al Wakra Hospital to our COVID-19 hospital network, we now have an extra 400 hospital beds and 150 intensive care beds available for COVID-19 patients, should the demand require them," she added.

HE the Minister discussed with senior officials the importance of Al Wakra Hospital in supporting the country’s strategy to meet any future rise in the number of hospital admissions due to COVID-19.

Additionally, Dr Al Kuwari inspected the inpatient units and intensive care units as they prepare to admit COVID-19 patients.

HMC chief medical officer Dr Abdulla Al Ansari said, “By creating a clear divide between our COVID-19 facilities and non-COVID-19 facilities, we can ensure our COVID-19 resources are best utilized to deliver high-quality care to COVID-19-positive patients.

“Patients attending non-COVID-19 facilities for regular medical services can do so safely, without the risk of infection,” he added.

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Cover, Inline Images Credit and Source: QNA