HMC launches WiFi enabled ambulances

Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) launched a fleet of 20 Wi-Fi enabled new ambulances with several advanced features as well as high-tech facilities for non-emergency purposes.

Part of the HMC Ambulance Service non-emergency fleet, the new vehicles provide patients with a more comfortable and pleasant experience as well as advancing the quality of medical care that ambulance crews are able to offer.

The ambulances have several features such a wheel chair, stretcher, Wi-Fi facility for using personal mobiles, tablets or other gadgets, USB ports for recharging electronic devices and refrigerator.

The ambulance also has access to the electronic patient records providing the past medical history, improving the way in which patient information is communicated between clinical teams and provides a complete end-to-end patient record.

The non-emergency transfers include moving patients from one HMC hospital to another, for patients taken for regular dialysis, physiotherapy as well as transporting patients with mobility problems from their home to a hospital for their appointment.

HE the Minister of Public Health Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari, the Director General of Public Security Staff Major General Saad bin Jassim al-Khulaifi, and several other officials from HMC attended the official launch of the new ambulance services.

“The new ambulances highlight our commitment to continuously expand and upgrade the full spectrum of services across the entire health sector,” said HE Dr al-Kuwari.

“The life-saving nature of the Ambulance Service’s emergency response teams is well documented, but less well known is the role that the non-emergency teams fulfil," she explained.

HMC Ambulance Service responds to more than 200,000 emergency calls each year and also carries out 50,000 non-emergency transfers of patients.

“The patients were consulted, in a focus group meeting, before the ambulances were designed and ordered. The facilities in the ambulances were provided according to their responses," said Brendon David Morris, executive director, Ambulance Services, HMC.

"The ambulances can transfer more than one patient if the patients desire so as there are options for a wheelchair and stretcher at the same vehicle,” added the official.

The advanced fleet management system, the CareMonX Patient Transport Services Computer Aided Dispatch and CareMonX Mobile Data Terminal systems, manages all call-taking, triaging and dispatching activities for scheduled services involving patient transport and Mobile Healthcare Service home visits throughout Qatar.

As seen on GulfTimes  Image Credits GulfTimes