Updated on May 1 with HMC statement giving the name of the baby and his father.
A Yemeni boy became the 1,000th baby to be born at the Cuban Hospital in Dukhan yesterday (Apr. 24).
Tamem Abdulrab was delivered at around 7am yesterday, and his birth marked a key milestone for the Hamad Medical Corp. hospital.
He was delivered by Dr. Maria del Loreto Tellez and nurse Maidolys Lovit, HMC said in a statement. Staff put up a small poster welcoming the 1,000th delivery and gave him small gifts.
A hospital representative said mum and baby were doing well.
Tamem’s father Salem Abdulrab expressed said in a statement: “I can’t describe how happy I am that my son is the 1000th baby to be born at The Cuban Hospital,” and added his thanks to staff for their “outstanding” care.
The hospital officially opened in January 2012 and is publicly funded through HMC as a joint initiative with the governments of Qatar and Cuba. It is staffed by more than 400 doctors, nurses and medical technicians.
It welcomed its first baby on 30 Sept. 2012 when Zain Aldin Barakat, the grandson of the hospital’s chief executive Philip Lowen, was born there.
Growing popularity
Its location on Qatar’s west coast, some 82km from central Doha, has made it far less busy than Women’s Hospital and Hamad General Hospital.
This has helped make it an increasingly popular choice for patients who are able and willing to make the hour-long drive from the city.
The number of births there is still a long way behind Qatar’s most popular maternity center, the Women’s Hospital in Al Sadd, which delivered more than 16,000 babies in 2014 – down from the 17,000 babies delivered the previous year.
To compare, a total of 256 babies were delivered at the Cuban Hospital that year, which HMC said was up 88 percent on the previous year’s 136 babies.
While the number of births at the Cuban hospital in 2012 was not immediately publicly available, the figures suggest it is only growing more popular each year among expectant mothers.
“We are getting more patients – people are referred to us from their friends who have been here and had a good experience,” a hospital representative told Doha News.
With a rising population, Qatar’s authorities have for some time been trying to encourage residents to seek healthcare treatment outside of central Doha, to help release the pressure on some facilities.
The effort appears to be paying off. The number of births at Cuban hospital is rising, and Al Wakrah and Al Khor hospitals are also attracting an increasing number of patients, according to 2014 figures – the latest available – released by HMC last year.
David Barlow, HMC’s director of women’s services, previously told Doha News:
“We’re trying to ensure that patients are spread around so we’re not overloading one facility. If too much pressure is placed on a single facility, patients won’t get the best care.”
Thoughts?
