WATCH: Qatar introduces new remote healthcare services
In a bid to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the citizens and residents of Qatar amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has launched new remote healthcare services.
Under this initiative, the Ministry has activated a set of remote access channels to healthcare services at the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) and Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC).
The services will be offered with the support of TASMU Smart Qatar, the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC), Hukoomi and Qatar Post along with notable digital solution providers.
These virtual healthcare services can be accessed via the hotline 16000, which also remains the 24/7, toll-free hotline for any queries related to COVID-19.
The services that fall under the new digitized healthcare services include scheduling appointments with healthcare providers, receiving virtual consultation and medical advice, obtaining sick leave, as well as getting medicine delivered to your doorstep.
According to MoPH, the nationwide new remote healthcare service initiative primarily focused on three medical instances, which are highlighted below:
Virtual Consultations
Patients requiring PHCC services can dial 16000 and choose the PHCC option. They will then be routed to a PHCC Community Call Center offering remote telephone and video consultations for patients requiring both routine and priority care.
The community call center will be open seven days a week from 7 am to 11 pm.
Those who wish to avail this service can expect a video or telephone consultation with a physician, who will provide them with advice, diagnosis and offer prescriptions.
Moreover, the service will assess those patients with routine conditions providing guidance.
Concerning HMC services, the corporation has started an innovative Urgent Consultation Service, enabling patients with non-life threatening conditions to speak to a specialist physician over the phone.
For this, patients can dial 16000 to speak to an HMC coordinator, who will triage their case before transferring them to a specialist.
This service will cover 11 specialties for urgent care needs only. These include: urology, cardiology, orthopedics, general medicine, general surgery, dermatology, ENT, OBGYN, dental and pediatrics.
The specialists will also be able to check and book/rebook appointments if needed.
All registered PHCC and HMC patients with Health Cards can use these services.
HMC’s Department of Geriatrics has also launched a virtual clinic for patients enabling elderly patients to receive consultations in the comfort of their own homes.
This service has been launched to protect elderly residents in Qatar who have been advised by the Ministry to stay at home unless absolutely necessary.
Issuing sick leave certificates remotely
If patients are given care through a video or telephone consultation with their healthcare provider and require a sick leave certificate, they will be issued sick leave electronically through the e-Jaza system, the patient can then download the sick leave certificate through this link, the Ministry stated.
When you reach this step in the process, you will need your Qatar ID/Passport or HC number as well as the e-Jaza reference number/order ID.
Medication Refill delivery to patients' home
HMC and PHCC are working together with Q-Post to have medications delivered to your home to ensure you can receive your required medications without visiting the health centers or clinics.
This started with a segment of patients on March 25 and will be rolled out in phases to the rest of the population accordingly.
Call centers Nesmaak at 16060 and Hayak at 107 will remain as is for routine calls but will add a capability to route calls that require urgent attention to 16000.
Later, under the second phase of the remote access to healthcare services, a chatbot will be introduced through the MoPH, PHCC or Hukoomi websites.
For any queries, or concerns related to COVID-19 in Qatar, the public can contact a 24/7 hotline set up by the Ministry.
Here's everything you need to know about the virus, including ways to protect yourself.
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