HMC’s Anesthesia Department to open more pain clinics across HMC hospitals

Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) is preparing to open additional specialized pain clinics across its network of hospitals in order to provide improved therapeutic care for each and every one of its patients.

The pain clinics are being planned for Hamad General Hospital (HGH), National Center for Cancer Care and Research (NCCCR), and Al Wakra, Rumailah, Heart, Women’s and Al Khor Hospitals. “Our aim is to increase the number of pain clinics in Hamad General, Rumailah, NCCCR and Al Wakra Hospitals, in order to reduce waiting times and to ensure patients receive the safest, most compassionate and most effective care,” said Dr. Wael Saleem, consultant anesthesiologist and Head of Chronic Pain Management at HMC.

According to Dr Saleem, the new pain clinics are being overseen by the pain management team within the Anesthesia Department at HMC and are founded on modern evidence-based pain management guidelines and protocols. Pain management is a branch of medicine employing an interdisciplinary approach for easing the suffering and improving the quality of life of those living with pain. “By establishing the new clinics across our network of hospitals, we will be able to increase the range of interventional pain procedures we can offer, which will further consolidate the existing acute and chronic pain services,” he stated.

Dr. Saleem said that restructuring of the Acute Pain Service at HGH has already been completed and a similar service will follow at Women’s and Al Khor Hospitals. “In each HMC hospital, a clinical coordinator will be allocated to the acute pain service. We already have the Chronic Pain Service in HGH and NCCCR and the most recently opened pain clinic at Al Wakra Hospital (AWH) has been operational since January this year. This will be followed by Women’s, Al Khor and Heart Hospitals,” Dr. Saleem added.

Four senior doctors from the pain management team will care for patients at the AWH Pain Clinics – Dr Nick Scott, Vice Chairman of HMC Anesthesia and Chairman of Pain Services, Dr Wael Saleem, Head of Pain Medicine, Dr. Zahir Lemtai and Dr. Mutasem Iqnaibi, Anesthesia Specialists at AWH. “Though only about 3000 patients visit the pain clinics at HGH, Rumailah and NCCCR every year, the post-operative acute pain cases are in the region of 9000 cases per year. A further 400 cases require interventional procedures during 2014,” Dr Saleem reported.

The pain clinic at AWH opens twice a week on Mondays and Tuesdays from 11:30 am to 3:00 pm. The clinic is open to all categories of patients including children and adults, males and females. “Our main aim is to ensure patients get the best care possible when they visit our new pain clinic at AWH. Since opening this existing new service, we have been able to reduce the wait time and list at HGH’s day care unit,” said Dr. Ibrahim El Boursaly, Head of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine at AWH.

“Pain management is a new expanding field within anesthesia, which requires a multidisciplinary approach in order to be able to deliver good patient management and satisfaction. Our patients usually need physiotherapy, radiological, and laboratory services, in addition to chronic pain management specialists and members of a psychotherapy team. In addition, in order to provide a comprehensive service, we intend to incorporate all forms of alternative medicine in due course,” added Dr. El Boursaly.

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