Key COVID-19 field hospital discharges last patient as cases decline

Since opening in May in response to the outbreak, the Libsear hospital has treated nearly 2,000 COVID-19 patients.

The last COVID-19 patient at the Libsear Field Hospital exited the facility on Monday, the hospital announced, as Qatar’s coronavirus cases continue to drop.

Built in only two weeks on Dukhan Road, the hospital was opened in May to support Qatar’s medical sector in dealing with the novel coronavirus outbreak. Since then, the 504-bed hospital has treated 1,884 COVID-19 patients.

“The Libsear Field Hospital was built from scratch in record time by the Ministry of Defence, and then handed over to the Ministry of Health to operate the hospital…and they [patients] received the necessary treatment according to each patient’s needs,” said Dr Abdullah Rasheed Al Naimi, Clinical Lead of the hospital.

Built by GHD, a multinational offering building services, the hospital was created to treat male patients, with three separate buildings containing 504 single rooms with separate restrooms.

“We provided a safe and comfortable environment for all our patients around the clock, as we allocated a room for each patient. Today, the last corona patient was discharged from the Lebsear Field Hospital,” said Dr Al Naimi.

According to GHD, the facility is made from shipping containers, cladded using insulated panels and fitted with a steel gauge system that can be recycled after use. It was run by 70 staff members, 20 of which were doctors.

But Libsear is not the only facility to be born out of the global health pandemic.

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A major hospital was also built in the Industrial Area earlier this year where a large number of cases were recorded. The facility was made specifically to treat and quarantine workers and hosts an emergency department with 40 beds.

‘Distinct model’

Qatar’s response to the COVID-19 crisis was recently praised by the World Health Organisation (WHO), describing it as a “distinct model for global emulation” for its low mortality rate.

Despite having the world’s highest per-capita coronavirus infections, the tiny Gulf state has successfully managed to control the pandemic

On May 30, In its peak period, the country recorded 2,355 cases. Then on August 20, Qatar saw a significant drop in the number of cases, allowing the country to proceed to ease its restrictions.

Since March, Qatar has shut down restaurants, malls, gyms and major public places and imposed limits on public and private gatherings, including weddings.

Following the success of the lockdown in July, Qatar proceeded to gradually ease its restrictions by partially reopening public places while limiting capacities as part of its four-phase plan.

Now, in the fourth phase, the number of daily cases has been fluctuating between below and slightly above 200.

Despite the progress, experts have cautioned residents of a possible second wave, though this is not expected to be severe. Authorities have called on residents to maintain social distancing guidelines as hopes for a vaccine continue to gain traction.

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