(MENAFN- The Peninsula) fazeena saleem |
The Peninsula
Doha: Sidra Medicine through its wide range of services offers an integrated and holistic approach to women's healthcare and annually cares for around 45,000 women and girls – by providing them with more choices when it comes to their health and wellness.
At Sidra Medicine, a member of Qatar Foundation, women have access to quality, patient-centred care that responds to their unique needs, said chair of women's services at Sidra Medicine Dr. Johnny Awwad.
“Our staff of experienced professionals is committed to providing women and girls with the compassionate and excellent care they deserve. We aspire in providing excellence in clinical care and work closely with other clinical departments to provide integrated, state-of-the-art healthcare across all our services,” he told The Peninsula.
Sidra Medicine's Women Services operates in a private healthcare model and patients can access services without a referral. In 2022, the hospital introduced new services including - the menopause clinic, cervical screening and prevention and reproductive medicine/IVF - all of which have seen an increase in demand.
“When Sidra Medicine's main hospital opened in 2018, the main focus was on maternity services, and we expanded our services in obstetrics, gynaecology and maternal fetal medicine. Obstetrics and maternity care at Sidra Medicine is built on the core philosophy of exceptional and personalised care at every stage of delivery with a clear focus on prioritising quality care and experience.”
Dr. Awwad said on average 1,500 children were born at Sidra Medicine in a year, or about 40% of the all deliveries taking place at private hospitals annually.
“We offer the female population more choices when it comes to healthcare especially in areas such as comprehensive health checks, menopause, fertility, gynaecology and maternity care. Women are empowered with knowledge about the options that are available to them when it comes to their reproductive and gynaecological health,” he said.
Sidra Medicine provides gynaecological services to all women in Qatar from the age of 14 years. It treats a wide range of gynaecological conditions and offers around 11 services such as cervical screening and prevention; well women assessment; fibroid centre and gynaecology surgery.
According to Dr Awwad, reproductive medicine - IVF and fertility management services have seen an increase of 250 per cent in 2022 compared to 2021.
“Our model of care is based on a holistic approach centred on personal needs. Our IVF and fertility experts provide individually optimised care to the couples,” he said, adding that services include screening for familial inherited disorders and genetic conditions that affect pregnancy.
“More than 50% of couples suffer from infertility due to male factor-related issues. With the launch of the new male infertility clinic, we are now able to treat couples by offering comprehensive medical and surgical treatments for both husband and wife,” he added.
Sidra Medicine is the only hospital in Qatar which offers a specialised clinic to address menopause-related issues and a clinic was established in 2022.
“We offer a comprehensive service dedicated to the management of women's health during the midlife, menopause and beyond. Our multi-specialist team consists of expert gynaecologists, endocrinologists, psychologists, dieticians and physiotherapists to deliver this service. We even have an aesthetic surgery clinic, under one of the top aesthetic surgeons, Dr. Chiara Botti. This holistic, patient-centred team approach has been implemented to ensure that the latest specialist information, support and treatment is offered to our patients,” said Dr. Awwad.
The Cervical Screening Clinic at Sidra Medicine is another new service and it offers cervical screenings to detect abnormalities and identify the need for treatment. Services include pap tests, which check for cell changes in the cervix caused by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV).
“We cannot stress enough the importance of routine cervical screening and that taking the HPV vaccine have proven to be very effective for preventing cervical cancer
and deaths from the disease,” Dr. Awwad said.