At a time when COVID-19 brought the world to its knees and the virus tested the resilience of health care system, Qatar under the strategic and phenomenal leadership thrived all through, said a frontline physician.
The efficiency of the healthcare system has been proved by the smooth transition from the peak to the flattening of the curve, said Dr. Haajra Fatima, Medical Resident, at Hamad Medical Corporation, in a message circulated on social media.
Sharing her experience as a frontline physician during COVID-19, Dr. Fatima, said, “I was privileged to be a part of the task force fighting COVID- 19 in the state of Qatar. Working on the frontline at the Communicable Disease Centre (CDC), was a remarkable experience. The CDC, situated in the heart of Doha, has been devoted in the country’s efforts to tackle the crisis. CDC as a COVID-19 facility has been unique in many ways.”
She highlighted that the CDC had adapted to the delivery of an entirely new and challenging task.
“Every patient was triaged and assessed the severity of symptoms around the clock and accordingly provided appropriate level of care,” said Dr. Fatima.
“Outdoor makeshift well-equipped tents set up to routinely screen high risk staff working in common occurrence. This is not to forget the constant monitoring of the clinical condition of patients admitted as well as timely escalation of care as the need to,” she added.
According to Dr. Fatima, a rapidly evolving protocol was in place in order to deliver the best care possible and to ensure the safety of healthcare workers.
“As more was being discovered about COVID-19 worldwide, we witnessed the smooth transition from the peak to the flattening of the curve,” she said.
In the battle against COVID-19, there is an urgent need to provide health care providers with personal protective equipment (PPE), such as masks, gloves and gowns, to keep them safe as they treat patients. Fatima says that the Ministry of Health is providing all needed medical supplies, including adequate PPE.
“I would like to highlight as health care workers there was never a moment when they were anxious about insufficient PPE. We had enough of it at any given point in time. I take this opportunity to thank all our patients for their cooperation and concordance with the measures taken to tackle the pandemic,” she added.