Hamad Medical Corporation’s National Center for Cancer Care and Research (NCCCR) continues to deliver highquality cancer services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Measures has been taken protect all vulnerable patients and limit the risk of exposure to patients and staff.
Also necessary procedures are implemented if a cancer patient is tested positive with COVID-19, Dr Salha Bujassoum Al Bader, Senior Consultant Medical Oncologist at NCCCR.
“I would like to reassure cancer patients that HMC has taken all possible precautions to prevent the spread and infection with the new COVID19,” she said in a video posted on HMC’s Facebook page.
For the safety of all patients, the Outpatient Department at NCCCR has been relocated to the Ambulatory Care Center (ACC). All patients with an i n c o m i n g s c h e d u l e d appointment will be contacted by the NCCCR physicians and have a telephone consultation.
Based on the patient condition the physician may also offer a physical visit in the ACC provided that the patient has no flu-like symptoms and is not under quarantine.
Visitors are limited to inpatients at NCCCR and patients can get their routine medicine by Q-post. If a cancer patient is experiencing cold or flu-like symptoms such as cough, fever or shortness of breath, or if patient under quarantine wants to speak to oncology/ hematology physician about ongoing treatment can call the hotline 16000 and press option three (3). The hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Referring to a cancer patient diagnosed with COVID-19, D. Al Bader said, “She is a breast cancer patient, treated at NCCCR. She is undergoing targeted treatment. She came here for her regular appointment for treatment and she was complaining of a mild throat pain.
So we test her for COVID-19 and the result came positive. All necessary procedures were taken immediately and the patient was treated at Communicable Disease Centre (CDC).” The female patient who has met Dr. Al Bader after recovering form COVID-19, was thankful for the treatment that she received at CDC. “I’m one of those COVID-19 victims, but thankfully I recovered.
The staff at CDC are very committed and they took all needed precautions, because the requirements for my treatment was different from a normal COVID-19 patient with no medical condition,” said the woman recovered from COVID-19. Patients with cancer are urged to take additional prevention measures to avoid contracting COVID-19 as even a mild illness associated with the virus could cause serious complications, due to cancer patients already having a weakened immune system. They are advised to avoid contact with individuals who are sick and to strictly adhere to hand hygiene and social distancing measures.