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Health System Response and Adaptation to the Largest Sandstorm in the Middle East

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 August 2016

Furqan B. Irfan ,
Sameer A. Pathan ,
Zain A. Bhutta ,
Mohamed E. Abbasy ,
Amr Elmoheen ,
Abdallah M. Elsaeidy ,
Tooba Tariq ,
Charles D. Hugelmeyer ,
Habib Dardouri  and
Noor Bibi Khial Bad Shah
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Furqan B. Irfan
Affiliation:
Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
Sameer A. Pathan
Affiliation:
Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
Zain A. Bhutta*
Affiliation:
Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
Mohamed E. Abbasy
Affiliation:
Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
Amr Elmoheen
Affiliation:
Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
Abdallah M. Elsaeidy
Affiliation:
Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
Tooba Tariq
Affiliation:
Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
Charles D. Hugelmeyer
Affiliation:
Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
Habib Dardouri
Affiliation:
Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
Noor Bibi Khial Bad Shah
Affiliation:
Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
Colene Y. Daniel
Affiliation:
Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
Ashwin D. Silva
Affiliation:
Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
Kaleelullah S. Farook
Affiliation:
Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
Yogdutt Sharma
Affiliation:
Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
Stephen H. Thomas
Affiliation:
Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar.
*
Correspondence and reprint requests to Zain A. Bhutta, MBBS, Department of Emergency Medicine, Hamad General Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Bin Omran, Off Al-Rayyan Road, PO Box 3050, Doha, Qatar (e-mail: [email protected]).
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Abstract

The State of Qatar experienced a sandstorm on the night of April 1, 2015, lasting approximately 12 hours, with winds of more than 100 km/h and average particulate matter of approximately 10 μm in diameter. The emergency department (ED) of the main tertiary hospital in Qatar managed 62% of the total emergency calls and those of higher triage order. The peak load of patients during the event manifested approximately 6 hours after the onset. The Major Emergency Command Centre of the hospital ensured the department was maximally organized in terms of disaster management, and established protocols were brought into action. Multiple timely meetings were convened in efforts to effectively execute plans that included rapid emergency medical services handover time, resourcing staff, maximizing bed space, preventing dust entry in the ED, bypassing certain administrative processes, canceling day-surgeries that did not affect inpatient morbidity, and procuring additional respiratory equipment. Patients arrived mainly with exacerbations of asthma and respiratory distress, ophthalmic emergencies, and vehicular trauma; surprisingly, the incidence of pedestrian injuries did not vary. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:227–238)

Keywords

sandstormemergencyrespiratorydisaster managementQatar
Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 11 , Issue 2 , April 2017 , pp. 227 - 238
Copyright
Copyright © Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc. 2016 

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