The 65-bed purpose-built Communicable Disease Centre (CDC) is within the Hamad Bin Khalifa Medical City campus and will also have a travel medicine clinic where travellers can have their pre-travel vaccinations and medical advice.
CDC is part of HMC’s expansion plans to provide faster access to high quality, specialised care.
It is also part of a government-wide programme which will see seven new major hospitals open in Qatar over the next 18 months, creating more than 1100 new hospital beds between now and the end of December 2017.
Dr. Abdullatif al-Khal, deputy chief medical officer and head of infectious diseases, said the new CDC will focus on the management of infectious diseases including tuberculosis, human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome, hepatitis and leprosy. It will also provide care to patients with infections that need prolonged treatment such as osteomyelitis (inflammation of bone or bone marrow, usually due to infection).
“The CDC is the first facility of its kind in the region and will set the standard for diagnosis, treatment and management of infectious diseases and research into these conditions,” said Dr. al-Khal. “The centre will not only play a vital role in improving the health and wellbeing of patients suffering from infectious diseases in Qatar but will also provide leadership in education and preventative measures.”
Dr. Muna al-Maslamani, senior consultant of infectious diseases said: “The centre would also play a role in the identification, treatment and management of other highly infectious illnesses such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (Mers-CoV), H1N1, Sars and Ebola in times of epidemics and pandemics which makes it unique in the region.”
“Another focus of the CDC will be initiating preventative measures in identifying outbreaks, managing them and strengthening Qatar’s response to health threats they may pose to the country,” Dr. al-Maslamani added.
The CDC will work alongside the Ministry of Public Health, Primary Health Care Corporation, Qatar’s Academic Health System partners and private healthcare organisations to provide trusted guidance, disease tracking and support to ensure Qatar can respond quickly and effectively to health threats emanating from infectious diseases.
In addition to the comprehensive inpatient services for infectious disease patients who need hospitalisation, the facility also has outpatient clinics including pre-marital counselling and education for those with blood-borne pathogens.
It will also operate a specialised travel medicine outpatient clinic where people can go for their vaccinations and health advice before travelling. It will also have a pharmacy, radiology facilities and the National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory, which diagnoses, tracks and monitors the illness.
The CDC will be the first hospital in the new Hamad Bin Khalifa Medical City campus to open, with further three facilities – the Women’s Wellness and Research Centre, the Ambulatory Care Centre and the Qatar Rehabilitation Institute – scheduled to open in the coming months.