PHCC Community Call Centre number 16000 now available 24/7

The Community Call Centre service — 16000 — has been expanded as a 24/7 service, the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) announced on Saturday.It receives calls from patients for both routine and urgent appointments and will now be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.As life in Qatar returns to normal with the Phase 4 lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, PHCC has expanded the operations of the Community Call Centre from its regular 7.00 am to 11.00 pm work shifts to a 24-hour call centre.A nurse led telephone triage service will be available from 11pm to 7am which will signpost patients to appropriate services, such as PHCC 24hr Urgent Care services, based on their needs.“Telehealth significantly increase the reach and impact of clinicians, providing another level of connected care for patients. We want to ensure that we are providing access to patient cantered health care for all without interruptions. During these challenging times, we are keen to ensure that our vulnerable communities have access to primary healthcare without subjecting themselves to the risk of exposure to COVID-19 in the community.”We have set up a 24-hour nurse-led tele-triage service so the call centre will be continuously operational, without interruption,” said Dr Samya Ahmad Al – Abdulla, Senior Consultant Family Physician and Executive Director of PHCC Operations.People can access the call centre through 16000 and book an appointment for a telephone or video consultations with physicians, dentists and ophthalmologists during the hours of 7am to 11pm.The patients will be guided and advised to appropriate treatment/referral depending on their needs, including home visits, when feasible.The team of experienced doctors and nurses determine the priority of the request based onroutine, priority/urgent, and emergency requirements of the patient. All registered PHCC patients with a valid health card can access the call centre for appointments.PHCC aims to be to be the leader in transforming the health and wellbeing of the people of Qatar, by shifting the balance of care from curative, hospital-based treatment to enhanced preventative, health and wellness services in the community. This will better align health care and resources toward an approach of person-centered, integrated care, with a focus on empowering people to make informed decisions for their health. As the preferred primary health care provider in Qatar, we are focused on providing excellent services in our PHCC health centers, which are centered on disease prevention, healthy lifestyles and wellness.