Cover image: Hamad Medical Corporation

A lot of us have children, and from time-to-time, they will fall sick or hurt themselves while playing. Sometimes, in these given situations, especially if they come suddenly and without any kind of warning (which is most of the time), it may not be so easy to get an appointment with a doctor at the Primary Healthcare Corporation or a private hospital, and you may be given a waiting time of anything from a few days to a few weeks. You may also feel your child is not sick enough or hurt enough to go to the emergency, but still you feel you do need some medical help. You may feel helpless sometimes and wonder what to do.

Well, you don’t have to worry anymore.

Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has the answer for just such a situation! It's the Hotline Advisory!

HMC's Hotline Advisory is perfect for such situations when you need someone to answer your non-emergency, but urgent, child-health-related questions without your having to rush to the Pediatric Emergency Centres (PECs) and it’s a great way to avoid waiting for hours at the PECs, especially if the medical condition or injury is not life threatening.

The Hotline Advisory is a 24-hour telephone advice facility which is managed by registered nurses in Doha who can help you with health queries related to your child. The Hotline is available 24-hours a day, seven days a week and is open to anyone who has a child (newborn to 13 years of age), especially if you are not sure how you should treat a medical condition or an injury.

The aim

The aim of this free Hotline facility is to provide you quick, reliable and appropriate guidance, advice and information about common pediatric conditions that may be related to your child's illness or injury, so you don’t have to make unnecessary trips to the PEC.

The objectives

The objectives of the Hotline Advisory are as follows:

1. To provide and quick and appropriate response to common pediatric illness and disease queries.
2. To reduce unnecessary trips to the PEC for the convenience of the patient and their family.
3. To reduce the number of patients visiting PECs for non-emergency medical conditions so children who do require critical care can get more medical attention.

The Hotline Advisory telephone number

44396066 is the telephone number you need to call when you need immediate medical advice or treatment for your child, but it isn’t an emergency, or you feel you can’t wait for a doctor’s appointment.

The registered nurses

The nurses who are involved in the working of the Hotline Advisory are appropriately trained to handle telephone queries and follow the guidelines of the Pediatric Telephone Protocol which was published by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The nurses are trained to answer your queries and put your mind at ease by providing you professional advice regarding your child’s medical condition. If the problem is not life threatening or very serious, the nurse who answers your call will ask you questions related to your child’s health and give you advice based on your answers. Usually the matter is solved, and your mind is put to rest, but if the problem is bigger and more complicated, the nurse will tell you to immediately go to the Emergency.

Services rendered by the nurses

The nurses are trained to answer your queries in a caring manner and put your mind at ease. If the problem is not life threatening or very serious, the nurse who answers your call will

• Assess the symptoms of your child.
• Guide you towards the correct level of care.
• Provide you advice on how you can treat your child’s symptoms at home.
• Tell you which over-the-counter medications you can use to treat your child's symptoms.
• Guide you about how much medication to give your child and interaction with other medications.
• Assess whether you need to go to the Emergency or not.
• Give free and confidential guidance, advice and information related to your child’s condition.
• Share any preventative measures that may be necessary for your child.
• Transfer your call to someone more skilled, depending on the problem, if necessary.
• Advise you if you need to make an appointment with a doctor.
• Make a follow up call to you to check on the condition of your child to ensure he / she is OK and also to ensure the advice given to you was effective and appropriate.
• May also answer queries related to diet, drug dilutions, and also vaccinations.

Note: If you feel your child has a medical condition or injury that seems severe or life threatening, go directly to your nearest Pediatric Emergency Centre or call 999.

Did you know about this Hotline Advisory? Don't you think it's a great initiative by HMC? Have you ever used the Hotline? Do let us know your thoughts in our Comments section. Like and share the article - it keeps us going!

Follow us on our social media channels: @ILQlive @ILQlive @ILoveQtr ILoveQatar

Nabeela

Content Writer

Start a discussion