Hamad Medical Corporation

Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC, hamad.qa) is the main provider of specialist healthcare in Qatar and one of the leading hospital providers in the Middle East. HMC’s network is made up of hospitals as well as the national Ambulance Service, home and residential care, and other services such as mental health and physiotherapy. Since Rumailah Hospital first opened in 1957, HMC has significantly expanded its portfolio of hospitals. As Qatar has grown and developed over the recent decades, so too has HMC. This long history of caring for the residents of Qatar ensures HMC is uniquely positioned to understand the specific cultural and healthcare needs of the population, and provide the best possible care.

The clinical teams at HMC deliver a wide range of specialist healthcare services to patients. These services differ to those provided at primary health centres as they diagnose and treat complex cases that cannot be treated in a primary care setting.

In 2021, HMC marked 15 years of accreditation by Joint Commission International (JCI) under the Academic Medical Center accreditation programme and is the first healthcare system in the world to have all its hospitals accredited. In February 2023 five hospitals in Qatar were ranked in the world's top 250: Rumailah, Hamad General, National Center for Cancer Care and Research, Heart Hospital, and Sidra Medicine.

How to get an appointment at an HMC hospital

Getting an appointment is simple and convenient:

> Your primary healthcare provider doctor (Primary Health Care Corporation or private clinic) will refer you to HMC if specialist care is required.

• Referrals from private clinics can be registered online at hamad.qa (see below).

• Referrals from PHCC health centres are made automatically.

> Once your referral has been received by HMC, you will be sent an SMS acknowledging receipt.

> When an appointment becomes available you will be contacted with the date, time and location. Once processed, you will also receive an appointment notification by SMS.

> You will receive a reminder SMS one day before.

> Aim to arrive 30 minutes before the appointment time. If you are more than 15 minutes late you may not be seen and your appointment will need to be rearranged.

Referrals from private clinics: Patients with referrals from private clinics for specialised care at HMC can submit their requests online. To access the appointment referral site, patients can scan the QR code or visit hamad.qa and use the Contact Us page, providing the health card number and uploading the referral form. A confirmation message will be sent acknowledging that their referral has been received and is being processed. After a few days, Nesma’ak will call to arrange an appointment.

Fees for services at HMC: Qatar residents with a valid Qatar ID and health card are entitled to heavily subsidised consultations and prescriptions. Without these documents patients will be charged a higher fee for services. Emergency medical services are provided free of charge.

Contacting HMC: HMC’s dedicated customer service team, Nesma'ak, can help with questions and enquiries, including checking/rescheduling/ cancelling appointments. Teams are on hand in all HMC hospitals to assist patients, via 16060 or by emailing nesmaak@hamad.qa

Availability: Available 24/7 in these language options: Arabic, English, Urdu and Malayalam.

HMC Hospitals

Aisha Bint Hamad Al Attiyah Hospital

HMC’s newest community hospital is located south of Al Khor in Tenbek and is the corporation's second largest after Hamad General Hospital. The first patients were seen in November 2022 after inauguration by The Father Amir, HH Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. There are 300 inpatient beds, 64 outpatient clinics, an emergency department, operating theatres, obstetrics and gynaecology services, neonatal and paediatric care, haemodialysis, robotic pharmacy, laboratory services, VIP inpatient and critical care rooms, and a day care unit.

Ambulatory Care Center

The centre offers patients a new approach to surgical and clinical care in Qatar, providing day care surgery, some inpatient surgical care and clinical care in a single dedicated location. This means that within 23 hours of receiving surgery or a medical procedure, patients are able to leave hospital and recover at home.

Al Khor Hospital

Al Khor was the first Hamad hospital outside of Doha, providing healthcare services to the growing population in northern region of Qatar. The hospital offers patients treatment in a pleasant and modern environment, with a wide range of clinical departments providing advanced care. The hospital has an Antenatal and Postnatal Exercise Center, unique to HMC, and a Breastfeeding Resource Center, as well as the offices for Home Healthcare Services.

Al Wakra Hospital

Al Wakra Hospital provides healthcare services for the growing towns of Al Wakra and Mesaieed to the south of Qatar. Al Wakra Hospital provides patients with safe, high-quality care in an efficient way, and means that people no longer need to travel to Doha. Al Maha Pediatric Specialized Care Center was officially opened in May 2022 and is the region’s first paediatric specialised care centre dedicated to long-term care for young patients with special and rehabilitation needs.

Communicable Disease Center

The CDC is a specialist tertiary centre to support and treat patients with communicable diseases. It has been purpose built with the mission to detect, treat and prevent infectious diseases in Qatar, particularly those of public health importance. Its highly specialised team of doctors, nurses and allied health professionals provide consultations and treatments for patients who have infections that are often beyond the scope of primary and other secondary care services.

Hamad General Hospital

One of the region's leading tertiary hospitals, offering highly specialised care since 1982. The 600+ bed facility offers extensive medical care and clinical services, including trauma, emergency medicine, paediatrics, critical care, specialised and sub-specialised surgery, specialised medicine, laboratory medicine, diagnostic imaging, and adult rehabilitation.

There are more than 65 clinics, one of the world's busiest emergency departments, five intensive care units, eight operating theatres and a large pharmacy. Modern diagnostic facilities include laboratory, medicine, pathology and radiology. A state-of-the-art Trauma and Emergency Center was opened in 2019 by the Amir, HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, with a Hyperbaric Therapy Unit and the first hyperbaric oxygen therapy chamber of its kind in Qatar.

The National Center for Diabetes Treatment opened in 2013 and provides diabetics with improved patient care and access to specialised services through a multi-disciplinary approach. The hospital also manages the Fahad Bin Jassim Kidney Center, offering some of the most advanced treatment standards in the region for patients with acute and chronic kidney ailments.

Hazm Mebaireek General Hospital

Located in the Industrial Area of Doha, the hospital provides inpatient and outpatient care, surgical services, and emergency care services. With a 14-bed Emergency Department and 118 inpatient and intensive care unit beds, the hospital can treat hundreds of patients each day. The hospital welcomes all adult male patients, providing them with access to the highest quality treatment and care within their community.

Heart Hospital

The state-of-the-art centre is committed to delivering high-quality care and treatment for adults with heart conditions. The specialist hospital integrates all cardiothoracic medical and surgical facilities in one centre. Heart Hospital is committed to academic health as well as medical education with an active cardiology fellowship programme, and a strong commitment to the education of residents, fellows and specialists.

National Center for Cancer Care and Research

The 60-bed hospital specialises in the delivery of diagnosis, treatment and management for the care of people with cancer and blood disease. Advanced technology, such as the region's first PET CT scanner, combined with teams of specialists and highly trained staff offer high-quality healthcare tailored to patients’ individual needs.

Qatar Rehabilitation Institute

The Institute is the region’s largest tertiary rehabilitation hospital, providing world-class integrated rehabilitation services and the most technologically advanced patientcentred care. At the heart of this care is a multi-disciplinary team of clinicians working together to coordinate and deliver a personalised package of advanced rehabilitation services tailored to each patient’s individual circumstances. The ‘Easy Street’ rehabilitation facility, opened in 2021, simulates realworld situations in a safe clinical environment so that patients can take their first independent steps towards recovery after a lengthy illness with life-changing medical issues.

Rumailah Hospital

Rumailah Hospital is Hamad’s longest-serving hospital and provides healthcare services for both acute and long-term rehabilitation patients. It is a multi-speciality teaching hospital with 605 beds across seven sites. Most services are provided from the original main site, such as dermatology, ophthalmology, plastic surgery and care for the elderly. Rumailah Hospital has achieved Joint Commission International (JCI) Triennial Hospital Reaccreditation as well as JCI accreditation for Long Term Care Standards, the first hospital in the GCC to attain this status. HMC opened the Sarcopenia Clinic at the hospital in February 2023, the first of its kind in the region.

The Cuban Hospital

Located in Dukhan in the west of Qatar, the hospital is a joint venture project between the State of Qatar and the Cuban Government. With 65 beds and approximately 400 highly qualified Cuban healthcare professionals, the hospital is equipped with state-of-the-art technology serving Dukhan and its surrounding communities.

Women’s Wellness and Research Center

The centre is the region’s largest tertiary hospital providing women in Qatar with specialised care through all stages of their lives. The hospital offers a range of surgical and clinical services from preconception to childbirth, post-natal care and beyond, provided by a passionate multidisciplinary team of highly trained clinicians specialising in gynaecology, obstetrics, and newborn care. The Obstetric Anesthesia Services has been designated as a Center of Excellence by the Society for Obstetric Anesthesia and Perinatology in the US, the first hospital in the Middle East to receive the prestigious designation.

Additional Services

Ambulance Service

Each year HMC’s Ambulance Service receives more than 250,000 calls, many of which request emergency support for life-threatening incidents. The Ambulance Service teams are quickly dispatched to assist the injured patient using the most appropriate fleet vehicle: air ambulances (helicopters), advanced road ambulances and rapid response vehicles, 4x4s for the desert, and bicycle units for parks. The helicopters ensure air ambulance coverage even in the most remote areas of the country. The pilots of the helicopters are from the Qatar Emiri Air Force (QEAF).

The Ambulance Service’s Medical Communication Center was named the Middle East’s first Accredited Center of Excellence by the International Academy of Emergency Dispatch for its high level of commitment towards delivering safe and efficient healthcare in Qatar and the region. The service itself has been accredited three times by the Joint Commission International for quality and safety, and the LifeFlight service has also been accredited by the European Aeromedical Institute for both adult and paediatric critical care.

The Mobile Healthcare Service, launched in 2015, provides senior physician support and nursing care to patients outside the hospital setting. The service works with the Home Healthcare Service, responding to urgent calls and supporting clinical teams in delivering care to patients in their homes. MHS doctors support early discharge by working with the hospital's medical teams to identify patients who are able to go home but might still need support. The programme reduces the length of stay of many patients by providing extra support following discharge from the hospital.

'Know the 5 to save a life' campaign

In order for the Ambulance Service to provide the best possible support quickly, it is vital that members of the public follow the 'Know the 5 to save a life' key steps: • Dial 999 immediately

• Know your location • Answer all questions

• Follow all instructions • Give way to ambulances

Residential and home care

Caring for partially or long-term dependent patients outside a hospital setting is of great importance. The Enaya Specialized Care Center provides services for patients with 24-hour specialist care needs, in conjunction with Hamad General Hospital and Rumailah Hospital. Continuing Care is for patients who need care outside of a hospital in specialised facilities, in the community or at home.

Dental services

Hamad Dental Services offers patients access to specialised oral and dental care at the state-ofthe-art Hamad Dental Center and several other locations within HMC. This includes both routine dental exams and more complex procedures.

Mental health services

HMC plays a leading role in the delivery of care for people with a mental health illness. Guided by Qatar's National Mental Health Strategy, HMC is working with partners in Qatar to develop a highquality mental health system and transform the way mental illness is perceived and treated.

The strategy will drive important structural changes which allow HMC to be more focused in its delivery of community-based care, providing the people who need it with the right care, at the right time and in the most beneficial environments.

HMC has partnered with the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and Qatar’s healthcare providers on an awareness campaign to educate the public about mental health and to remove social stigma. The first Guide to Mental Health was launched in December 2019, developed by MoPH, HMC, Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC), Sidra Medicine, Qatar Red Crescent and Naufar, a mental health facility that focuses on wellbeing and help for those with addiction and substance abuse.

The Mental Health Helpline has received over 43,000 calls since its inception in April 2020. The free and confidential helpline has a multilingual team which includes nurses, psychologists and psychiatrists providing support and early intervention, as well as the ability to handle more complex calls.

Extensive information regarding mental health can be found at sehanafsia.moph.gov.qa, an initiative run by MoPH to provide information to the public about wellbeing, mental health conditions and how to access services in Qatar.

For more information about mental health services, visit hamad.qa, call Nesma'ak on 16060, or the mental health helpline on 16000. For immediate assistance, go to an HMC hospital emergency department.

Qatar Metabolic Institute

Under HMC's Academic Health System, several educational, research and clinical institutions in Qatar have united to drive forward significant improvements in the health and disease outcomes of the Qatar population affected by diabetes, smoking, obesity and metabolic disorders. Partners include HMC, PHCC, Sidra Medicine, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, Qatar University, Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar, and University of Calgary in Qatar.

Organ donation and transplant

The Qatar Organ Donation Center (HIBA) is an internationally acclaimed centre that practices high professional and ethical standards. The Doha Donation Accord, prepared by HMC and endorsed by world-leading experts in the field of organ donation and transplantation, ensures ethical, equitable, safe and legal processes for organ donation. The Donor Registry is unique in its design and includes over 100 nationalities.

HIBA marked the 10th anniversary of Qatar’s Organ Transplant and Organ Donation Programmes in 2022 with the organ donor registry exceeding 500,000 registered donors, around 25% of Qatar’s adult population – and up from the just 2,424 donors in 2012. The organ transplant programme offers kidney, liver and lung transplant surgeries, making HMC one of the most comprehensive transplant centres in the region.

To register as a donor or to make enquiries about donations, contact the Qatar Organ Donation Center: 4439 8557, organdonation.hamad.qa

Blood services

The Blood Donor Center is the only health entity providing blood supplies for the whole of Qatar. The centre's main target is to attract voluntary blood donors in order to meet the needs of both public and private hospitals in Qatar. The procedure for donating blood at the centres, including donor registration, a medical interview, physical examination and assessment, as well as blood collection and post donor care, only takes about one hour.

The Main Blood Donor Center has moved to its new permanent location at West Energy Center on Mohammad bin Thani Road. The centre receives male and female whole blood and platelet donors. Hours Saturday 8 am – 2 pm; Sunday to Thursday 7 am – 9:30 pm; Friday closed.

Delivery of medical reports and consumables

Patients of Hamad General Hospital, Heart Hospital, Rumailah Hospital, National Center for Cancer Care and Research, Al Wakra Hospital, The Cuban Hospital and Hazm Mebaireek General Hospital can have HMC medical reports delivered to them directly by Qatar Post. Patients need to provide their Qatar ID details, mobile number, a preferred delivery time, and a delivery address. The day before, Qatar Post will call to confirm the time of the delivery.

Under HMC's Home Healthcare Service, patients with valid health cards can sign up with their Home Healthcare nurse to have medical consumables such as gloves, bandages and dressings delivered to their home. The service means patients will no longer have to visit their hospital multiple times for these items. HMC will send a link via SMS for payment of the medical consumables.

Patients with repeat medication and dietary products can also use the service by calling 16000 Sunday to Thursday 8 am – 2 pm. The fee for delivery of medications, consumables and reports is QAR30, payable to the Qatar Post representative at the time of delivery.

HMC hospitals with emergency departments

Patients with emergency medical conditions should call 999 for an ambulance or visit the emergency department at one of these HMC hospitals:

• Hamad General Hospital • Al Wakra Hospital

• Al Khor Hospital • The Cuban Hospital

• Heart Hospital (for patients with emergency heart conditions only)

• National Center for Cancer Care and Research (for emergency cases related to cancer only)

• Women’s Wellness and Research Center (for emergency gynaecological and obstetrics conditions only)

Reasons for going to an emergency department Emergency departments are designed to care for the patients with urgent medical conditions. Patients are triaged on arrival to determine the severity of their condition. This allows the emergency teams to prioritise those patients with the most serious conditions and treat them first.

Pediatric Emergency Centers (PEC)

The PECs provide urgent care 24/7 for patients up to 14 years of age. Trauma and other emergency cases should go directly to a main emergency department.

• Main Pediatric Emergency Center: Al Sadd Street/Suhaim bin Hamad Street

• PEC Al Daayen: Al Khor Road

• PEC Al Rayyan: Al Fourousiya Street

• PEC Al Shamal: Al Ruwais

• PEC Airport: Airport Street

Meeting international standards of care

HMC has achieved accreditation from leading organisations across many areas, demonstrating the ability to deliver high standards of care to patients. HMC is the first healthcare system in the world to have all of its facilities and services accredited by US-based Joint Commission International (JCI) under the Academic Medical Center accreditation programme, as well as the Hamad Dental Center and Mental Health Service. The National Ambulance Service, Home Healthcare Service, Stroke Service and Palliative Care have also all received accreditation since 2011.

Working towards a healthy Qatar

Improving the health of the people of Qatar is a priority for HMC. Hamad works closely with local healthcare partners, including the Ministry of Public Health and the Primary Health Care Corporation, to raise awareness of important health and injury prevention issues.

Hamad Trauma Center

HMC’s Trauma System at Hamad General Hospital provides comprehensive care for patients including pre-hospital, while at the centre, and rehabilitation services. Education and outreach programmes are supported by data from the National Trauma Registry, analysed by the Clinical Research Unit and Hamad Injury Prevention Program (HIPP).

HIPP, a research initiative to improve public health and safety, is a collaboration with many partners related to injury prevention, such as for construction workers and pedestrians. HIPP activities also engage those in other high-risk groups for injury, such as children and young drivers. HIPP's two National Priorities Research Program Grants from Qatar Foundation are for improving the use of child restraints in children aged under five, and for creating a unified registry for all occupational injuries in Qatar.

Public awareness campaigns

Another focus for HMC is educating the public about the signs, symptoms and care options of important health issues. A number of public awareness campaigns have been run for such things as stroke, diabetes, organ donation, psoriasis and smoking cessation. Major campaigns include breast cancer awareness each October and dedicated information to ensure a safe and healthy Ramadan. This all provides patients with the tools and knowledge to take responsibility for their own health, leading to a healthier society.