In the first half of 2024, the Outpatient Department of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) in Doha, Qatar, received a significant number of visits, with over 1.4 million visits recorded. Additionally, the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology (DLMP) conducted more than 11 million tests during this period. HMC, the main public healthcare provider in Qatar, manages 12 hospitals, including specialist and community hospitals, as well as the Ambulance Service and home care services.
The monthly statistics released by HMC highlight the popularity of outpatient services and laboratory tests among patients in the first half of 2024. The Center for Patient Experience and Staff Engagement (CPESE) at HMC is making changes to the Referral and Booking Management System (RBMS) with the goal of improving the outpatient experience. This includes enhancing the appointment booking system, reducing wait times, and ensuring easy access to care for patients.
DLMP focuses on providing the latest laboratory diagnostic services to patients in HMC and other institutions to improve disease diagnosis, treatment, management, and prevention. In June, the Outpatient Department received over 223,000 visits, and 1.78 million laboratory tests were conducted. A total of 24,159 medical reports were processed during this time.
HMC takes pride in supporting, caring for, and treating thousands of patients each month across all its hospitals and services. In the first six months of 2024, all hospitals within the HMC network treated over 197,000 patients, with more than 31,000 patients availing inpatient services in June alone. Additionally, over 11,000 babies were born at HMC hospitals between February and June 2024.
The ‘Nesma’ak’ customer service helpline at HMC, which operates 24/7, handled over 750,000 calls in the first half of 2024. The Emergency Departments at HMC hospitals received over 300,000 patients, while the Pediatric Emergency Centres treated over 400,000 children during this period. The Ambulance Service also received a significant number of calls and recorded numerous life-flight air ambulance activations within the first six months of 2024.
The National Mental Health Helpline at HMC received thousands of calls in the first half of 2024, highlighting the importance of mental health support. The Urgent Consultation Service, which offers telephone consultations for urgent conditions without a prior appointment, received over 69,000 calls. Additionally, medication home delivery services dispatched medicines over 30,000 times, and dialysis services were sought over 56,000 times at HMC during this period.
