Doha: Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has started receiving medicines from several new international pharmaceutical companies from the US and European countries, said a senior official.
Dr Moza Al Hail (pictured), Executive Director, Pharmacy Department at the HMC also reassured that the premier healthcare provider in the country has ensured uninterrupted availability of medicines and medical supplies in the country, despite the unjust blockade imposed on Qatar by siege countries.
The pharmacy and drug supply departments at the HMC have worked with international companies in advance to avoid any shortage of medical supplies pertaining to blockade.
“The conditions imposed on us have not affected our operations and we have made sure that there is continued availability of all essential medicines and medical supplies needed by patients in all our hospitals. We have generic medicine coming from countries such as the US, Canada, Turkey and several European countries. Some pharmaceutical companies approached us and their medicines are supplied here now. These medicines are better in quality and sometimes they are more economical in prices,” said Dr Al Hail speaking to media persons.
“From day one of the blockade we had strategic plans so we did not meet any medicine shortage,” she added.
She also said that the Drug Supply Unit and the Corporate Pharmacy Department at HMC spared no efforts to preemptively store and maintain the normal supply of medications and other pharmaceutical products despite the blockade.
“There is a very good process in place so that medicines do not go out of stock within HMC. If we feel any medicine is going out of stock, we work to get it as soon as possible,” said Dr Al Hail.
HMC also has a system in place to address any urgent medicine shortage or delay in supply from different sources. Same system will be followed in case any of the pharmaceutical companies discontinue the supplies.
“Whenever there is a delay in a medication supply, or it takes more than the scheduled time and not delivered, then we have a strategy in place to efficiently use the available stock. First, we look into our hospitals where the required item is slow moving but present in good quantity. We redistribute the items to other pharmacies where there is high demand,” said Dr Al Hail.
For example, remote hospitals eg Al Khor hospital might have excess quantities of an item which has high demands in Hamad General Hospital.
