Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) is the first healthcare organisation in the Middle East, Western Asia, and Africa region to receive the Extracorporeal Life Support Organisation (ELSO) Award for Excellence in Life Support (Gold Level), for its extracorporeal life support programme.
Also called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), the ECMO therapy is used as a last resort support system for the lungs or heart and has helped save the lives of around one hundred infants, children, and adults in Qatar since first being introduced in 2014.
The Ministry of Public Health commissioned the life-saving programme in 2013 in response to the MERS-CoV outbreak in the region. The MERS-CoV infection is associated with a high mortality rate due to the rapid onset of severe respiratory and renal failure. Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, Minister of Public Health, congratulated the HMC ECMO team on the award. She also pointed out that the technology is an example of Qatar’s commitment to providing patients with the world’s best care.
According to Dr Al Kuwari, the Ministry facilitated an ECMO partnership between HMC and UK-based Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS in early 2013, as part of the national MERS-CoV preparedness and response plan, and to treat patients with severe respiratory illness.
ECMO offers patients the highest level of life support and over the last four years, HMC’s skilled ECMO team has used this technology to treat some of the most sick and most severely traumatised patients. The ELSO award signifies Qatar’s commitment to bringing the world’s best technologies and treatments to Qatar; it demonstrates to patients and families a dedication to providing the best care possible.’
HMC Director of the Medical Critical Care Division and ECMO Programme, Dr Ibrahim Fawzy Hassan, said that in addition to being one of the few healthcare systems in the Middle East to use ECMO, HMC is also a regional training centre for the technology.
Last year a group of medical experts developed a first-of-its-kind mannequin to help train teams on the system. The ECMO simulation mannequin was conceptualised, designed, and built in Qatar.
ECMO is a bridge to recovery for patients with reversible lung and heart failure, says Dr Fawzy.
The ECMO machine acts as a temporary, artificial lung and heart and takes over the work of these organs while the body is allowed to recover with the help of other medical and surgical measures. This technology allows us to provide the highest level of care to patients with complex illnesses.’
HMC’s extracorporeal life support programme is ranked among the best in the region, a distinction that Dr Fawzy credits to the ECMO team. He said that HMC is honoured to receive the prestigious designation that recognises their expertise in critical care and life support.
Dr Fawzy said that the HMC extracorporeal life support programme is a model for quality.
I am very proud of the commitment of our whole team to ensuring the successful implementation at HMC. It is because of this team effort that we reached such a high level of achievement. This award is an affirmation of the continued hard work that the ECMO team and key support staff has done, and continues to do daily, to achieve our goal of providing the best possible care to patients. It recognises the skill and dedication of our multi-disciplinary team.’
The Excellence in Life Support Award was presented to members of the HMC ECMO team recently. The award is for a three-year term and recognises centres worldwide that demonstrate an exceptional commitment to evidence-based processes and quality measures, advanced education for staff, patient satisfaction, and ongoing clinical care. It also demonstrates an assurance of high-quality standards, specialised equipment and supplies, and defined patient protocols. Recipients of the Excellence in Life Support Award are designated as Centres of Excellence.
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