Hamad General Hospital set to open expanded surgical intensive care unit

An official at Hamad General Hospital revealed that work has been completed on the third and final phase of the hospital’s Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU). He noted that the completion of the SICU expansion marks the final phase in the Hamad General Hospital Operating Theater Expansion project, which began in 2013. “The SICU features a direct link to both the Hamad General Hospital Operating Theater Suites and the new Surgical Specialty Center. It has 27 beds, four isolation rooms, including three negative pressure rooms, and family waiting rooms. The completion of the final phase of the SICU expansion project saw the Unit’s capacity to care for patients almost doubled, moving from 15 to 27 beds. In addition to supporting HMC’s general surgical services program, the SICU will play a vital role in ensuring Trauma Center patients receive the best possible care and will complement the 19-bed Trauma Intensive Care Unit (TICU),” said Dr. Abdulla Al Ansari, Acting Chief Medical Officer.In addition to the 27-bed SICU, the 10,000 square meter Operating Theater Expansion project saw the commission of 20 state-of-the-art surgical theaters, a 19-bed TICU, the addition of a da Vinci Xi surgical robot, and real-time imaging capabilities through CT, MRI, Brain Lab and Artis Zeego imaging technology. Dr. Al Ansari said earlier this year Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) further expanded its surgical capacity by opening the first phase of a new specialized surgery center at the former Women’s Hospital building. He said the new Surgical Specialty Center will be completed in the coming months and is also part of HMC’s long-term plan to reduce wait times and increase access to specialized surgical services.“The expansion of our surgical services facilities, which includes completion of the final phase of the SICU, is part of our long-term strategy to accommodate the growth of Qatar’s population and in turn, our surgical, trauma, emergency care, and organ donation programs. We are working hard to improve access to specialized services and to provide our patients with the most advanced medical facilities built to cater to the specialized healthcare needs of our population and on par with the world’s best hospitals,” said Dr. Al Ansari.“We are committed to hiring the best medical and nursing teams who are able to care for our most critically ill patients and to procuring the best cutting-edge medical equipment and technology from across the globe,” said Dr. Al Ansari.Dr. Yousuf Al Maslamani, Medical Director of Hamad General Hospital said last month’s start of a limited number of services at the new Trauma and Emergency Center is also part of the expansion work being undertaken to increase HMC’s capacity to care for the county’s most critically ill patients.“Qatar’s population has grown significantly in recent years, resulting in increasing numbers of patients relying on our trauma, emergency, and surgical services. The expansion of our operating theater facilities and the new Trauma and Emergency Center represent a substantial investment in our commitment to providing high-quality, world-class facilities and healthcare to the people of Qatar,” said Dr. Al Maslamani.  “Our new Trauma and Emergency Center is the region’s largest dedicated emergency care facility and last month’s start of some services from the ground floor of this facility marked an important milestone on our journey to transforming trauma and emergency care in Qatar. Once fully open, this new facility will provide patients with access to state-of-the-art technology, including three CT scans, MRI, x-ray, and ultrasound machines as well as an ultra-modern decompression chamber which will provide oxygen therapy for a range of medical conditions,” added Dr. Yousuf Al Maslamani.