Doha, 10 October 2020: Her Excellency Dr. Hanan Mohamed Al Kuwari, Minister of Public Health, formally opened the expanded Day Care Unit at the National Center for Cancer Care and Research (NCCCR).
“Despite the pressure placed on the healthcare system due to COVID-19 since the start of the year, we have not taken our focus off other services. The expansion of the Day Care Unit is a wonderful example of the hard work that has been done away from COVID-19 to ensure all our patients receive the highest quality care. The new Unit provides a significant expansion in capacity and offers an improved experience for all day care patients,” said Her Excellency Dr. Al Kuwari.
In addition to formally opening the expanded Day Care Unit, Her Excellency Dr. Al Kuwari also visited NCCCR’s Urgent Care Unit and Outpatient Department, both of which have undergone work to expand capacity and enhance services.
“This has been a four-month journey of service improvement in NCCCR which has resulted in significant upgrades to the Urgent Care Unit, Outpatient Department, and the Day Care Unit. The Day Care Unit has greatly expanded, from 16 to 52 beds, which will positively impact the care provided to patients, most notably the chemotherapy services that have been enhanced. We have also enhanced our inpatient care provision through the addition of ten new beds for Medical Oncology,” said Dr. Mohamed Salem Al Hassan, Medical Director of NCCCR.
As part of the improvement program, the Outpatient Department has seen significant transformation, as Dr. Noora Al Hammadi, Deputy Medical Director and Chair of Radiation Oncology explained. “With Qatar’s population continuing to increase we are treating greater numbers of cancer patients each year. To manage this demand, we have added three more clinics to the Outpatient Department: Pain Management and Palliative Care Clinic, Pharmacy Lead Clinic, and a Psychotherapy Clinic. We have also significantly improved access to cancer care across Qatar through the established of 37 clinics outside NCCCR, in the Ambulatory Care Center, Al Wakra Hospital, Al Khor Hospital, and the Women’s Wellness and Research Center.”
