Qatar Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, HE Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, officially opened the new Al Maha Pediatric Specialized Care Center of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC).
The opening ceremony was also attended by Minister of Public Health, HE Dr Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, and a number of the country’s senior health officials. The Prime Minister toured all units of the new centre and was briefed about the services it provides patients and their families.
HE Dr Al Kuwari said that Qatar’s commitment to improving the care of its paediatric long-term patients was the impetus for the development of the new purpose-built medical and rehabilitation facility.
She said that the Al Maha Pediatric Specialized Care Center offers expert long-term and acute care for children with special needs.
This unique centre, the first of its kind in the region, is an ideal facility designed to create a home-like environment aimed at promoting a better quality of life for children with long-term care needs. The Center reflects the achievement of one of our National Health Strategy’s key goals, which is to provide high-quality care based on international best practice standards.
Specialized Paediatric Care Center
The Al Maha Center is located within the Al Wakra Hospital campus and is spread generously over 20,000 sqm of floor area, which includes a range of inpatient and outpatient areas. There are six inpatient units with 105 beds, 69 of which are private rooms, and 13 are outpatient clinic rooms. The beautifully designed venue, which includes gardens, recreational facilities and family areas, was the recipient of a European Healthcare Design Award and the winner of a World Architecture Award.
Children have unique developmental and emotional needs and their environment, in this case a hospital, can play a significant role in responding to these needs, says HMC Acting Assistant Managing Director and Chief of Tertiary Hospitals Group, Ali Al Janahi. He said that their aim is to achieve a family-focused hospital design that addressed the multiple and often complex needs of children and their families.
The Center offers a paediatric healthcare environment that includes not only high-quality treatment rooms for children but also family spaces and fun areas to stimulate the children and encourage better family engagement. In addition, the centre provides family and attendant education facilities.
He added that they strive to make their paediatric patients feel safer in what may otherwise have been a more intimidating clinical environment. The Al Maha Center, he said, will help patients and their families on their healing journey.
Everything in one location
The patients’ medical needs can be provided in this one location. These include medical, diagnostic and therapy services (physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, assistive technology, audiology services, seating and positioning and feeding and swallowing as well as psychological support and intervention). The Center also provides innovative services such as aquatic therapy, offered in a state-of-the-art multi-level hydrotherapy pool, music and art therapy, virtual reality treatment, in addition to other related services designed to provide the best opportunities adapted to the specific needs of each child. Treatments and diagnosis are provided in 26 individual therapy rooms and four group therapy rooms, as well as three gymnasiums.
In addition to patient and family areas, the Center also have a cafeteria and mosque as well as training and conference facilities for staff professional development and family consultation purposes.
The successful transfer of long-term paediatric patients, many with chronic respiratory failure requiring long-term ventilation, was due to the combined efforts of the multi-disciplinary teams involved, their meticulous planning and attention to detail. Equally important was ensuring that the parents were kept informed every step of the way, said Rumailah Hospital Acting CEO and HMC Deputy Chief Medical Officer Dr Abdulaziz Al Darwish.
These incredible teams of physicians, nurses, allied health professionals and support staff, according to Dr Al Darwish, are dedicated to ensuring the safe and comfortable transfer of the children to their new environment. Where possible, the same professional teams transferred over with their patients as this contributed to the overall confidence and comfort of the children and their parents.
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