Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has unveiled a new 15-year master plan to include double the number of hospital beds and operating theatres in the country and triple car parking provisions by 2030 to tackle Qatar’s healthcare crisis, according to a report.

The focus of the plan will be on redeveloping HMC’s current central Doha sites into one, integrated complex, which will be linked across C-Ring Road by a pedestrian bridge, said the Doha News report.

It will feature covered paths and air-conditioned walkways, which will be built throughout the landscaped complex to encourage visitors, patients and staff to walk where possible between facilities.
 
The number of operating theatres will be more than doubled from 40 to 90 and the total number of car parking spaces will increase three-fold from 8,000 to 24,000, it said.

It also plans to expand its medical staff, clinics and hospital beds outside of Qatar’s capital.
 
It will include increasing the capacity of Al Khor and Al Wakrah hospitals to 500 beds each by 2030, and building five new diagnostic and treatments centres that will run clinics for a range of issues including diabetes, internal medicine, orthopaedics, rehabilitation and imaging (CT and MRI scans).

There are also plans to double the number of ambulance points in Qatar from 20 to 40 in the coming 18 months to ‘enhance efficiency and emergency services,’ HMC’s head of facilities planning John Lambert-Smith, was quoted as saying.