DOHA: Many complain that they experience delays at the emergency department in Hamad General Hospital (HGH), especially when it’s a non-serious condition.
Some say they had to wait for several hours to be attended by a doctor, an Arabic daily reported yesterday.
“The department has long procedures, sometimes we have to wait for long hours to see a doctor.
“A nurse will do initial check-up for patients, then it takes time for the doctor to attend to them,” said Mohamed Abu Shakra, relative of a patient taken to the department recently.
“My father fell down, he has blood pressure and diabetes. When we took him to the department they took so long to complete procedures,” he added.
Abdullah Al Hajaji, a Qatari, said, “People who come with injuries from road accidents get priority and others are forced to wait for too long. But problems like asthma and high blood pressure can lead to serious situations.
“It’s better if they have two sections for minor and major cases, so patients can be attended to faster,” he suggested.
However, others say services are provided faster now at the department.
Ali Al Aji, a patient who visited the department on Wednesday, said, “The situation at the emergency section has improved a lot.
“Earlier we had to wait for like two hours. I’m also impressed by Ambulance Service. It reaches to cases fast and paramedics start treatment efficiently.”
The department is one of the busiest with many patients being treated on a daily basis.
On Wednesday, it received 695 cases and the majority were treated as outpatients left the hospital.
Al Wakrah Hospital which eases rush at HGH, received 607 cases, 25 of which were admitted to the hospital, one is being treated at the intensive care unit and another has been transferred to HGH.
HMC’s Ambulance Service received 468 calls, including 362 from Doha and 160 from outside areas. Twenty-three of them were related to road accidents.
The emergency sections of HGH and Al Wakrah Hospital received more than 1,000 patients on average per day during Eid holidays. Ambulance Service dealt with more 600 calls per day, including major road accidents.
The Peninsula
