Urgent Care Services For Single Workers Treat Around 5,000 Patients Daily

(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Fazeena Saleem | The Peninsula

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) provides high-quality urgent care services at health centers for single workers, aiming to alleviate pressure on the Hamad Medical Corporation's (HMC) hospitals.

Among the four health centers operated by QRCS, two – one in Mesaimeer near the religious complex and another in the new industrial area of Al Hemaila – offer urgent care services.

“In 2023 we received 1.2 million visits tour centers. Daily we have about 4,000 to 5,000 patients in all four centers. Among them 10 % are presented with an urgent or emergency condition," Dr. Hassan Ali Kasem, Chief Medical Officer at QRCS, told The Peninsula.

“Out of these patients we refer 2% to 3% patients to a HMC hospital because they need secondary care,” he said on the sidelines of an event held recently in line with the National Healthcare Campaign 'Where For Your Care.'

The two urgent care centers are open 24/7 and provide services including general medicine, dressing and suturing, medical laboratory tests, X-rays, and a pharmacy.

“If needed patients are kept for a short period of time or referred to a hospital,” said Dr. Ali Kasem.

“All medications are administrated free of charge; and patient is exempted from the requirement to have a valid health card. Any ID is accepted to identify the patient identity,” he added.

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Urgent care services should be typically sought for non-life-threatening medical cases or injuries that, if left untreated, would quickly worsen, like significant laceration, allergic reaction that does not restrict the airway, abdominal pain, significant burn and broken bone.

Also for all medical cases or injuries that are not a threat to life or an emergency but cannot wait for an appointment or be managed at home, such as urinary tract infection, mild respiratory issues, sprains, minor burns, ear/eye/throat complaints and fever patients can seek treatment at urgent care centres.

“We provide daily awareness sessions for workers, advising them on when and where to seek care. We encourage them to visit designated centers where urgent care is available. For medical emergencies we encourage the, to call 999. However, if they choose to visit other centers, we strive to offer the appropriate services and make referrals to hospitals or arrange ambulance transfers if necessary,” said Dr. Ali Kasem.

“However, the patient is a patient; they don't know if the condition is life threatening or not. So, if they come to us with a life-threatening condition, we call 999 and stabilize the patient, and conduct the initial lab tests until the ambulance arrives,” he added.

According to Dr. Ali Kasem, if a patient presents at an urgent care center with a heart attack, lab tests such as cardiac markers and an electrocardiogram (ECG) will be conducted, and the reports will be electronically shared with the ambulance service.

Under a strategic partnership with Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), the Medical Affairs Division at QRCS provides high-quality primary health care services for single male expatriate workers since 2010.

In April 2023, QRCS's Medical Affairs Division obtained the platinum-level accreditation from Accreditation Canada, after passing the final survey at the four health centers.

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