Acute Care Surgery Preparedness for COVID-19 Pandemic: An Experience from Qatar

Abstract

Most cases of COVID-19 pandemic are now being reported outside Wuhan, China where the first case was detected. It is highly contagious and has engulfed the world in a short span of time. The burden on healthcare resources to care for the public has mounted multifold due to its fast transmission. Non-operative management of COVID-19 positive or the clinical suspicious cases is preferred. Personal protective equipment (PPE) should be utilized to protect the healthcare professionals’ safety. The Ministry of Public Health, Qatar has launched a series of virtual health care facilities to manage patient appointments, medical consultation, sick leave and drug distribution to avoid hospitalization and to minimize the spread of COVID-19 infection to non-emergency patients by dialing hotline number to provide appropriate services. We would like to share and disseminate the experiences at the Acute Care Surgery (ACS) section, Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC). Ethical considerations, social distancing and optimum utilization of the available resources are essential to overcome the pandemic situation.

International Journal of Human and Health Sciences Vol. 05 No. 02 April’21 Page: 154-158