DOHA: The Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) will soon expand its recently launched Home Healthcare Service (HHCS) to include more categories of patients such as children, cancer patients and women under maternal care, a senior HMC official said yesterday.

The service, which was officially launched in June, is aimed at providing continuous support to patients who have been discharged from hospital but require follow-up care and rehabilitation.

This innovative community service programme was also expected to reduce the pressure on HMC facilities due to the large number of overstaying patients.

“There are patients who cannot leave the hospital, even after they are discharged, for the simple reason that they would not get proper follow-up care at home. Under the new programme, we provide them specialised support through regular home visits by our medical team,” Dr Nabila Al Meer, director of the Nursing Department at HMC, told

this newspaper.

The service is offered for both nationals and expatriates free of charge. To be considered for home healthcare, the patient should not require close medical supervision or full-time care by a physician or an HMC nurse.

“The service is currently available for some long–term patients as well as the elderly. We are planning to expand it to other categories such as children, women under maternal care and cancer patients,” said Al Meer.

The medical team will continue to visit the patients till their family members get adequate training and experience in caring for them. The HMC also provides the necessary medical equipment required for the patients’ treatment at home.

“The equipment is available for nationals free of cost, but there is a fee for expatriates that is refundable when they return the devices,” said Al Meer.

The services are provided from 7am to 3pm on weekdays, based on an established plan of care. A case manager will assess the need for home visits outside of working hours and assign appropriate staff members.

Of the total of 500 patients who availed of the service in the first few months, 67 percent were female, 51 percent were diabetic and 12 of the patients were on a ventilator.

These patients were cared for by a staff of 100 that included healthcare providers and administrative staff.

THE PENINSULA