Starting next week, parents seeking follow-up care for their low-risk
and high-risk newborns will be referred to Well Baby Clinics at Hamad
Medical Corporation’s (HMC) Women’s Wellness and Research Center (WWRC).
The
Well Baby Clinics are designed to closely monitor and provide follow-up
care to low-risk newborns that may be experiencing problems such as low
weight, feeding difficulties or jaundice. They will also care for
high-risk babies discharged from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
(NICU).
According to Dr. Samawal M. Lutfi, Deputy Director and
Senior Consultant of Neonatal Perinatal Medicine at Women’s Hospital,
babies referred to the dedicated clinics may have medical conditions or
environmental circumstances that have put them at higher risk of
developmental delays. Some factors that may increase an infant’s risk
are premature birth, extremely low birth weight or other abnormalities
that affect the baby’s organs and systems.
“Our follow-up clinics
are staffed with clinicians who are experts in treating these
particular low-risk and high-risk newborns. The aim is to coordinate
medical management with other pediatric subspecialties to help these
babies reach their full potential, said Dr. Lutfi.
The Well Baby
Clinics are staffed by a team of clinicians including a neonatologist, a
neonatal/pediatric nurse practitioner, a social worker, a dietitian,
and a physical and occupational therapist.
“Part of the ongoing
care we provide at our clinics is offering extra support for families.
Our goal is to involve them in their baby’s care as much as possible by
understanding and implementing the proper treatment regimens at home to
support in their infant’s development,” added Dr. Lutfi.
Commenting
on the addition of the Well Baby Clinics to WWRC, Ms. Shaikha Mahboub
Al Dosari, Assistant Executive Director, Ambulatory Services at Women’s
Hospital said: “We look forward to opening additional outpatient
services in the weeks to come and to continuing to deliver high-quality
care for women and babies in Qatar.”
The WWRC recently saw the
opening of HMC’s National Newborn Screening Unit which screens all
babies born in Qatar to quickly identify specific harmful or potentially
fatal disorders that aren't otherwise apparent at birth.
