Doha: Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC)’s Pharmacy team has played a critical role during the pandemic and saw 350,188 patients receive their medications at their doorstep.
Until August 2021, HMC's Medication Home Delivery Service also answered 547,894 patient calls, and delivered more than 1,000,000 items to patients through the delivery service. As many as 104,942 intravenous medications were prepared for COVID-19 facilities and more than 57,000 pharmacy interventions were recorded by the clinical pharmacists’ team covering COVID-19 facilities.
As World Pharmacists Day is being celebrated globally this week, HMC pharmacists are highlighting the essential role they play in healthcare in Qatar.
The theme of this year’s World Pharmacists Day is “Pharmacy: Always Trusted for Your Health” and the aim is to appreciate the trust placed in the pharmacy profession and highlight the critical role of pharmacist in improving patient outcomes. This 10th anniversary is an opportunity to honour pharmacy professionals and recognise their contribution to Qatar’s world class health system.
Dr. Moza Al Hail, Executive Director of Pharmacy at HMC, said: “Pharmacists played a pivotal role in the fight against COVID-19. As frontline workers, they have unarguably sacrificed, adapted and persevered in combating the pandemic.
“We ask everyone to join us in appreciating pharmacy professionals across the country and beyond for adapting quickly in response to the most challenging situation.
“Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmacists remained approachable and accessible to make sure that patients have had the care they need. I am incredibly proud of how they were able to deal with an unprecedented workload and ensured uninterrupted, safe and easy access to medications for everyone in need.”
Dr. Moza Al Hail said that pharmacists were trusted sources of information about medications and the team at HMC had worked above and beyond to foster this.
“Trust is essential to healthcare because there is a significant association between trust in healthcare professionals and health outcomes for patients.
“At the time of uncertainty and vaccine hesitancy, pharmacists are an essential resource. Pharmacists, as medication experts, play a vital role in providing factual information and trusted sources about medications, vaccines and other healthcare issues for patients and our communities. We are proud to be playing this crucial role,” she added.
