Meriam Jelliti
Since its inception in the year 2004, Al Emadi Hospital has gone through a sea-change, emerging as a leading private hospital in Qatar. The hospital is currently equipped with the latest technology and has leading consultants and specialists, who are able to provide the highest standards of medical treatment and care to patients.
Al Emadi Hospital Assistant CEO and Public Relations & Patient Relation Manager Antoine Bassile is one of the founding members who have seen Al Emadi Hospital achieving countless milestones as a premier health service provider in Qatar and the GCC region over the past 15 years. He spoke to Qatar Tribune about his personal experience in the early days of Al Emadi Hospital when it opened, the idea behind it, the hard work alongside the hospital’s founder Dr Mohamed Abdulla Al Emadi, the struggles, the accomplishments, and the future vision.
Excerpts of the interview:
What is the genesis of Al Emadi Hospital?
Al-Emadi Hospital was established in 2004 by prominent surgeon Dr Mohamed Abdulla Al Emadi as a private general hospital. I started working on this project in 2003 with Dr Emadi. I consider myself very lucky to have worked alongside Dr Emadi even before the hospital was opened for public. When we first started working on establishing the hospital, we had countless doubts. At that time, the idea of a private hospital was very new. However, Dr Emadi had immense belief in his brilliant ideas and bright plans for the hospital. His vision was to build the best private healthcare institution in the country. I believed in him and we made it possible.
Tell us about your work experience during the initial days of the hospital.
In the beginning, we focused on cosmetic treatments. We started in a gradual way. Dr Emadi had contacts with some doctors and they used to visit the hospital as and when required. At that time, it was not easy to hire specialised doctors and provide them with the perfect ground to practice. Initially, we only had visiting doctors. We had around 20 of such doctors. So, Al Emadi was first known as a cosmetic hospital. We were also the first to introduce aesthetic medicine, ophthalmology, and hair transplant in Qatar.
How has the hospital changed over the years?
While I was fortunate enough to be with the hospital during its initial years, I had to leave it due to personal circumstances for 10 years. I returned to the hospital in 2018 and reunited with Dr Emadi. I resumed my duties with the same zeal as I had in the beginning. It was like I had never left the hospital. Naturally, major changes in the hospital had happened in those 10 years. The treatment in the hospital has become highly efficient and exceeds the expectations of the patients. This is achieved by specialised, highly trained and experienced physicians, who constantly undergo the latest training programmes and workshops to improve their skills and stay up to date with all new treatments and medicines available. In the past, we had so many issues and difficulties hiring specialised doctors. However, the hospital currently has the most qualified doctors and specialists. What once seemed impossible is now a reality. We now have departments like the orthopedic, gynecology and urology.
What is new at the hospital?
As in the initial days, we are still very focused on providing the best of cosmetic treatments in the country. We are in the process of hiring four new cosmetic doctors by next month as we are aware that there is a high demand for cosmetic and plastic surgeries in Qatar. A new dermatologist will be joining us soon as well. We are now planning to offer hair transplants at reasonable prices to attract both citizens and residents. Our main purpose is to provide excellent service at a very competitive price. ED will also be treated at our facility very soon. ENT is another area we are focusing on. We are aware that ENT is a very important department, where we receive almost 100 patients on a daily basis. We are in talks with certain agencies to help us recruit doctors, consultants, and specialists.
What are the latest technologies and types of equipment available at Al Emadi Hospital?
I am very proud to say that we have the best LASEK eye surgery machine for fixing eyesight and perform glaucoma operations in Doha. In addition, we recently acquired two brand new MRI machines that are the most advanced machines available in Doha. We operate on 30 MRI patients daily, so it is very important for us to have the best of technology in this field to achieve the most accurate results.
What are the least known departments in your hospital?
There are some departments that are least know but are very efficient. The emergency department at Al Emadi functions round the clock and we receive patients regularly. We have plans to add more services that we may lack in our emergency department in the near future. We have a full-time pediatrician as well. Bronchoscopy, sport medicine and physiotherapy services are outstanding at the hospital. We run about 3,500 physiotherapy sessions in a month, which shows the nature of the services we provide to our patients. I have personally attempted physiotherapy and I was highly satisfied with the result.
What are the services that are special to Al Emadi Hospital?
We are well known for obesity care and treatment, especially sleeve gastrectomy. Dr Emadi started doing this since 1994 and until today we receive about four to five patients daily.
What is the reason behind the big success of Al Emadi Hospital?
We always take the needs of the patients into consideration. We listen to what they need and we try to meet their expectations. Our services are very satisfying and advanced. Dr Emadi is also the reason for this success. His reputation has made all of this possible. Canadian accreditation has also helped us improve on a regular basis.
Do you provide customer services?
Yes, we have our own customer service department. As I said before, we always consider the patient’s needs. Just like any other health institution, we are not always flawless. We welcome all complaints and suggestions and always try to keep up with the patients in order to assist them to solve the issue. Our administration is very firm and determined for continuous improvement. Our call center is very efficient and we organise regular training to improve our services. If a patient cannot communicate or face any sort of an issue with the reception, the patient assistant officer assists such patients.
Tell us about the new Al Emadi Hospital in Al Shamal?
Al Emadi Hospital Clinic is now open in North Gate Mall. We are very proud of the new clinic as it offers treatments and consultations in all the 15 essential medical specialties. The official opening will be in October. We have several plans for the hospital in the very near future.
What are the future plans and vision for Al Emadi Hospital?
We always work on recruiting the best of specialised doctors. This is our continuous and most important plan. We are working on opening Al Emadi Medical Cosmetic and Dermatologic Center. Our new clinic in Shamal will soon have all medical specialties. Undoubtedly, Al-Emadi Hospital will continue to focus on diversifying its departments and healthcare services provided in the country and our growth and expansion plans will always be in line with the vision of the country’s wise leadership. We will always aim to further develop our reputation for providing unparalleled and quality healthcare and medical services to our patients.
tell us about the cost of treatment and offers at Al Emadi Hospital.
Our aim is to provide the best treatments at reasonable prices. We have contracts with almost all insurance agencies, and 92 percent of our patients are insured. Fees for sleeve gastrectomy can be paid in installments by both citizens and residents. We are also considering extending payments in installments for other types of operations as well. All transferred patients with special needs are treated free of charge at our hospital.
Since its inception in the year 2004, Al Emadi Hospital has gone through a sea-change, emerging as a leading private hospital in Qatar. The hospital is currently equipped with the latest technology and has leading consultants and specialists, who are able to provide the highest standards of medical treatment and care to patients.
Al Emadi Hospital Assistant CEO and Public Relations & Patient Relation Manager Antoine Bassile is one of the founding members who have seen Al Emadi Hospital achieving countless milestones as a premier health service provider in Qatar and the GCC region over the past 15 years. He spoke to Qatar Tribune about his personal experience in the early days of Al Emadi Hospital when it opened, the idea behind it, the hard work alongside the hospital’s founder Dr Mohamed Abdulla Al Emadi, the struggles, the accomplishments, and the future vision.
Excerpts of the interview:
What is the genesis of Al Emadi Hospital?
Al-Emadi Hospital was established in 2004 by prominent surgeon Dr Mohamed Abdulla Al Emadi as a private general hospital. I started working on this project in 2003 with Dr Emadi. I consider myself very lucky to have worked alongside Dr Emadi even before the hospital was opened for public. When we first started working on establishing the hospital, we had countless doubts. At that time, the idea of a private hospital was very new. However, Dr Emadi had immense belief in his brilliant ideas and bright plans for the hospital. His vision was to build the best private healthcare institution in the country. I believed in him and we made it possible.
Tell us about your work experience during the initial days of the hospital.
In the beginning, we focused on cosmetic treatments. We started in a gradual way. Dr Emadi had contacts with some doctors and they used to visit the hospital as and when required. At that time, it was not easy to hire specialised doctors and provide them with the perfect ground to practice. Initially, we only had visiting doctors. We had around 20 of such doctors. So, Al Emadi was first known as a cosmetic hospital. We were also the first to introduce aesthetic medicine, ophthalmology, and hair transplant in Qatar.
How has the hospital changed over the years?
While I was fortunate enough to be with the hospital during its initial years, I had to leave it due to personal circumstances for 10 years. I returned to the hospital in 2018 and reunited with Dr Emadi. I resumed my duties with the same zeal as I had in the beginning. It was like I had never left the hospital. Naturally, major changes in the hospital had happened in those 10 years. The treatment in the hospital has become highly efficient and exceeds the expectations of the patients. This is achieved by specialised, highly trained and experienced physicians, who constantly undergo the latest training programmes and workshops to improve their skills and stay up to date with all new treatments and medicines available. In the past, we had so many issues and difficulties hiring specialised doctors. However, the hospital currently has the most qualified doctors and specialists. What once seemed impossible is now a reality. We now have departments like the orthopedic, gynecology and urology.
What is new at the hospital?
As in the initial days, we are still very focused on providing the best of cosmetic treatments in the country. We are in the process of hiring four new cosmetic doctors by next month as we are aware that there is a high demand for cosmetic and plastic surgeries in Qatar. A new dermatologist will be joining us soon as well. We are now planning to offer hair transplants at reasonable prices to attract both citizens and residents. Our main purpose is to provide excellent service at a very competitive price. ED will also be treated at our facility very soon. ENT is another area we are focusing on. We are aware that ENT is a very important department, where we receive almost 100 patients on a daily basis. We are in talks with certain agencies to help us recruit doctors, consultants, and specialists.
What are the latest technologies and types of equipment available at Al Emadi Hospital?
I am very proud to say that we have the best LASEK eye surgery machine for fixing eyesight and perform glaucoma operations in Doha. In addition, we recently acquired two brand new MRI machines that are the most advanced machines available in Doha. We operate on 30 MRI patients daily, so it is very important for us to have the best of technology in this field to achieve the most accurate results.
What are the least known departments in your hospital?
There are some departments that are least know but are very efficient. The emergency department at Al Emadi functions round the clock and we receive patients regularly. We have plans to add more services that we may lack in our emergency department in the near future. We have a full-time pediatrician as well. Bronchoscopy, sport medicine and physiotherapy services are outstanding at the hospital. We run about 3,500 physiotherapy sessions in a month, which shows the nature of the services we provide to our patients. I have personally attempted physiotherapy and I was highly satisfied with the result.
What are the services that are special to Al Emadi Hospital?
We are well known for obesity care and treatment, especially sleeve gastrectomy. Dr Emadi started doing this since 1994 and until today we receive about four to five patients daily.
What is the reason behind the big success of Al Emadi Hospital?
We always take the needs of the patients into consideration. We listen to what they need and we try to meet their expectations. Our services are very satisfying and advanced. Dr Emadi is also the reason for this success. His reputation has made all of this possible. Canadian accreditation has also helped us improve on a regular basis.
Do you provide customer services?
Yes, we have our own customer service department. As I said before, we always consider the patient’s needs. Just like any other health institution, we are not always flawless. We welcome all complaints and suggestions and always try to keep up with the patients in order to assist them to solve the issue. Our administration is very firm and determined for continuous improvement. Our call center is very efficient and we organise regular training to improve our services. If a patient cannot communicate or face any sort of an issue with the reception, the patient assistant officer assists such patients.
Tell us about the new Al Emadi Hospital in Al Shamal?
Al Emadi Hospital Clinic is now open in North Gate Mall. We are very proud of the new clinic as it offers treatments and consultations in all the 15 essential medical specialties. The official opening will be in October. We have several plans for the hospital in the very near future.
What are the future plans and vision for Al Emadi Hospital?
We always work on recruiting the best of specialised doctors. This is our continuous and most important plan. We are working on opening Al Emadi Medical Cosmetic and Dermatologic Center. Our new clinic in Shamal will soon have all medical specialties. Undoubtedly, Al-Emadi Hospital will continue to focus on diversifying its departments and healthcare services provided in the country and our growth and expansion plans will always be in line with the vision of the country’s wise leadership. We will always aim to further develop our reputation for providing unparalleled and quality healthcare and medical services to our patients.
tell us about the cost of treatment and offers at Al Emadi Hospital.
Our aim is to provide the best treatments at reasonable prices. We have contracts with almost all insurance agencies, and 92 percent of our patients are insured. Fees for sleeve gastrectomy can be paid in installments by both citizens and residents. We are also considering extending payments in installments for other types of operations as well. All transferred patients with special needs are treated free of charge at our hospital.