Marking a new era in the health care scenario in Qatar, the state-of-the-art Sidra Medical and Research Center (Sidra) will open three departments of its Outpatient Clinic on May 1.

The opening of the Dermatology, Paediatric General Surgery Consultation and Obstetrics clinics are part of Sidra’s phased opening of its Outpatient Clinic.

With a strong patient and family centred focus, the Sidra Outpatient Clinic will be a high tech facility that enhances patient care, promote efficiency and ensure safety.The Outpatient Clinic will be led by a team of specialised doctors, nurses and allied health professionals and services.

The clinics will be supported by radiology, pathology, pharmacy and laboratory facilities. Patients requiring consultation at the three clinics will be referred to Sidra by their existing primary or secondary healthcare doctor. As it is referral based, the Sidra Outpatient Clinic will not offer emergency services.

“The opening of the Outpatient Clinic is an important first step in the phased opening of Sidra Medical and Research Center. This marks the beginning of our journey to establish Sidra as a state-of-the-art hospital and research centre. Our goal is to provide patient-centred clinical care, conduct pioneering research and educate and train future healthcare professionals,” said Prof the Lord Darzi of Denham, vice-chairman, Sidra.

“Our team has worked incredibly hard and has been collaborating closely with Hamad Medical Corporation in preparing for the opening the Outpatient Clinic. Every aspect of the services and technology at the Outpatient Clinic will be centred on patient safety and enhancing the patient experience,” explained Lord Darzi.

The Sidra Outpatient Clinic will adopt the latest technologies to enhance patient experience. For example, paediatric patients will have their height, temperature and weight read by devices which send the information directly to digital patient files - ensuring that patient information is streamlined and also allowing nurses to spend more time on patient care.

Patients will also benefit from the rapid review and reporting of digital images from X-rays, Ultrasound Scans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, scans or Computerised Tomography scans all within minutes of being scanned. A 3D printer will provide 3D models of a patient’s organs such as the heart or the brain to help with treatment planning.

Acting chief medical officer Dr. Abdulla al-Kaabi said: “As we are a referral based outpatient clinic, we have developed and streamlined our processes and systems to ensure the safe and effective transition of care for the patients coming from other healthcare institutions.Creating and maintaining a patient-safety culture will be integral in our day to day operations.Our ethos is centred in putting our patients and their families at the heart of our strategy to provide high quality patient care.”

As part of the phased opening of services at the Sidra Outpatient Clinic, plans are in place to offer more paediatric services over the course of 2016. This will eventually include neonatology consultation, developmental paediatrics, child and adolescent mental health, Ear Nose and Throat, pre-operative anesthetic assessment and preparation.