Amiri Hospital wins applause for handling infected patients

Plan to tackle corona enforced from day 1

KUWAIT CITY, June 2: Amiri Hospital is a distinguished example in dealing with those infected with coronavirus in terms of screening, isolation and treatment; in implementation of the ministry’s plan since the emergence of epidemics in the country.

From the beginning, the hospital continued its preparations according to studied scientific plans, which began to sort and classify cases of suspicion. It is a step that takes place in more than one stage, the first of which begins as a matter of admission to the hospital; while measuring the temperature of index cases and determining the extent of suffering from pathological symptoms.

In order to ensure that the highest standards of quality is followed and to prevent infection by taking the highest level of caution and prevention, the hospital has designated Thunayan Al-Ghanim Center to deal with corona cases.

The center is a secluded building with the best equipment. The first step in dealing with cases of suspicion is the initial screening process to classify them as carriers of the virus or not infected.

When the suspected cases reach the Emergency Department in the center, the second stage of screening and classification begins by examining the cases clinically, taking swabs and waiting for results. The department is equipped with the latest technologies, medical equipment and sufficient clinical capacity to estimate the expected cases daily.

Once the swab test results are released, the stage of ‘isolation’ begins; during which the cases with positive results are isolated and transferred to the center’s wards which are designated for this purpose, while those with negative results are discharged.

On the second floor of the center, the intensive care rooms for COVID-19 cases are supervised by a team of specialists. This provides the hospital with a model to deal with suspected cases, infections and critical cases with the highest standard of professionalism.

Head of the Emergency Department Dr Munirah Al-Asfour said the hospital, since the beginning of infection cases in the country on Feb 24, has been discussing the frameworks for dealing with the current situation.

The hospital laid down a specific mechanism that is in line with the Ministry of Health’s instruction to allocate a center for screening and classifying cases; hence, the selection of Thunyan Al-Ghanim Center, she added. So far, the center’s absorptive capacity is sufficient – whether in the Emergency Department, wards or intensive care unit.

The center is always ready to increase its capacity, if the need arises, she affirmed. She appreciated efforts of all the medical teams dealing with COVID-19 cases in the hospital as they achieved excellence in their work. Five stages to receive infected patients Al-Asfour explained that dealing with cases of suspicion is done through five stages; starting from hospitalization, screening in Thunayan Al-Ghanim Center, verifying the extent of infection, transferring patients to the wards or intensive care unit, and dealing with cases that exhibit minor symptoms in domestic isolation.