CATHERINE W GICHUKI
DOHA
The Paediatric Emergency Centres (PECs) and the emergency department (ED) of the Hamad General Hospital (HGH) received a total of 888 cases on the first day of Eid Al-Fitr celebrations on Thursday.
PECs across the country received a total of 560 cases from centers such as Al Rayyan, Airport Road, Al Sadd, Al Dayen, and Al Shamal.
From 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, the HGH ED received 328 cases, 56 of which were abdominal-related and 8 of which were trauma-related.
Dr Mohamed Al Amri, Acting Chairman of Paediatrics and Director of Paediatric Centres, stated that the most common complaint among paediatrics was fever, though all cases were minor. There was only one case of burns, according to him, and the patient was admitted to Al Wakra Hospital’s Burns Unit.
Others were viral illnesses such as larynx pharyngitis, otitis media and mild bronchial asthma. "There were no serious conditions and no Paediatric Intensive Care Unit admission and Hamad. All cases were simple and all patients were treated and sent home,” said Dr Al Amri.
According to Dr. Abdulnasir Howaidi, Senior Consultant Emergency Department and Member of the Expert Panel at the Ministry of Public Health, the number of cases received at the HGH’s Emergency Department is lower this year compared to previous years. "We have received only 328 cases during the 12 hours on the first day of Eid. Among these cases 133 were brought by Ambulance Service and more than 50 percent of them could come in a wheelchair. This means that they were not critical cases.”
He urged the public to distinguish between emergency and non-emergency situations when seeking services.
He advises the public to seek treatment at primary care health centers for conditions such as flu-like symptoms, mild burns, toothache, skin irritation, earache, and backache.
On a different note, the Hamad Medical Corporation’s Ambulance Service served 671 patients in the last 24 hours, from 5 p.m. Wednesday to 5 p.m. Thursday. There were 536 medical cases and 112 trauma and road traffic accidents. Three of the cases were airlifted.