Doha

Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has opened a new patient recovery centre- Bayt Al Dhiyafah.
The centre will assist with the convalescence of patients who have received treatment and no longer require acute medical intervention, though need continuity of care and additional recovery time before being fully discharged.
Located within Hamad Bin Khalifa Medical City, Bayt Al Dhiyafah is a new 40-bed service which provides a home-like environment and caters to patients with a variety of conditions who have been medically treated within HMC and would benefit from extra recuperation time, according to HMC’s managing director, Hanan al-Kuwari.
“The new facility is an intermediary setting for patients who have come through HMC and received treatment for a variety of medical conditions, are not quite ready to go home, but no longer require inpatient medical attention,” Dr. al- Kuwari said.
“Bayt Al Dhiyafah can provide a respite for recovering patients in an informal setting before they head back to their lives,” Dr. al-Kuwari continued. “Bayt Al Dhiyafah is another shining example of our efforts to develop our healing environments as part of HMC’s goal to offer world class healthcare settings.”
Operation of the new facility allows HMC to free up acute patient beds around its hospitals for those who require inpatient medical care, Dr. al-Kuwari added.
Patients are referred to Bayt Al Diyafah by HMC clinicians, with criteria for transferring into the facility including patients needing to be medically and psychiatrically stable, alert and orientated, able to complete all daily activities independently, able to self-administer medication, and be independently mobile.
Typically, a patient would be referred to Bayt Al Dhiyafah when no further medical intervention is required following a surgical or other medical intervention.
A patient’s stay in Bayt Al Dhiyafah will not last longer than three days. The facility is staffed by HMC nurses who check on patients twice a day and monitor their recovery progress, ensuring any prescribed medicines are correctly administered. Doctors are on call in case of an escalation of any clinical issue.
Mahmoud al-Raisi, HMC Chief of Continuing Care which operates the unit, said that he expects the service to be employed regularly.
“We have had keen interest in the Bayt Al Dhiyafah concept from clinical consultants around the HMC network and we are already receiving referrals. Currently, we are two-thirds full and it is clear that this is a much-needed service that will ultimately benefit the timely recovery of patients and improve their overall condition and allow them to more smoothly integrate back into their normal life,” said al-Raisi.