The COVID 19 crisis
Following the requirements of the Ministry of Public Health
Doha: 23 March 2020
Considering the consequences of the spread of the
Coronavirus COVID 19 on various fields, particularly sports, Aspetar, Qatar’s
orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital continues providing medical support to
athletes by adopting a preventive policy aimed at maintaining the health of
athletes, reflecting its mission in providing the best medical services for
athletes, without neglecting its educational role for the community.
Aspetar has carried out several precautionary measures with
the beginning of the outbreak of the Coronavirus in the world, by implemented
many decisions and instructions for sports clubs and federations in Qatar
, following the health requirements
imposed by the Ministry of Public Health. , Aspetar has put a set of guidelines
that were distributed; to all medical staff working with teams and
federations.English translation.
Preventive measures in clubs and federations
Aspetar informed all athletes in Qatar to follow the
instructions of the Ministry of Public Health regarding preventive measures to
avoid the spread of the virus, and all athletes were informed about the possibility of quarantine if they
traveled abroad.
Dr. Khalid Hassoun, Medical Director of Clubs and
Federations at the National Sports Medicine Programme in Aspetar, said:
"At first glance, we informed all medical staff in Aspetar, which works in
clubs and federations, to follow the instructions set by the Ministry of Public
Health, in parallel with the Aspetar directives to infection control,, and
reminded them of the procedures we routinely take in Aspetar when sports teams
participate in events, when athletes travel outside the country to participate
in international competitions or training camps."
Immediately after this procedure we contacted our staff
working on the field, through the various clinics of Aspetar distributed in
clubs, to avoid coming to the hospital except for the necessity, following the
instructions while keeping the minimum Surgeries or emergencies, while guidance
was provided to athletes undergoing physiotherapy and rehabilitation
programme." Added Dr Hassoun.
Aspetar was represented by Dr Khalid Hassoun at the joint
meeting organised by the Qatar Football Federation and attended by
representatives from various sports and medical authorities in the country,
where they discussed mechanisms for returning training for Qatar Star League
clubs and how to maintain fitness away from Competitions.
Precautions to avoid
contagion
"it’s the same measures that are applied to the public,
including washing hands, the use alcohol disinfectants, and keeping away from
crowds to reduce exposure," said Dr. Yorck Olaf Schumacher, chairman of
the Aspetar Infection Control Committee.
Avoiding any activity that may weaken the immune system,
such as lack of sleep and malnutrition, standard infection precautions such as
avoiding handshakes and even autographs. In case of travel, isolation
procedures should be taken for team members who are suffering from upper
respiratory tract infections to protect the rest of the team."
He added: "The advices currently being addressed to the
public, are the same as those we used to educate athletes about prior to
travelling to camps or training abroad. They are not different for CoVid19
Health education for athletes and the community
Aspetar accredited by many recognised medical and sports
institutions, always educates about such preventive measures through many
awareness programmes within Aspetar or in the institutions and sports clubs,
such as scientific conferences, and educational lectures targeting medical
staff.
Similarly, an educational and awareness programmes directed
to the public through the media as well as Aspetar social media platforms, by
providing many advice and evidence-bases studies.
As an ideal treatment destination for athlete from all over
the world, Aspetar one of the internationally recognised research centers, has
produced a series of educational videos and posted them on its official YouTube
channel some videos explaining the stages of rehabilitation and treatment of
sports injuries, , and advance fitness exercises.
In 2017, Aspetar, the Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine
hospital, received the Patient Safety Friendly Hospital (PSFH) Level 3
designation. The award is administered by the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH),
in partnership with the World Health Organization Regional Office for the
Eastern Mediterranean (WHO/EMRO).
The PSFH assessment is based on a review of 140 patient safety
standards covering five core areas, Aspetar achieved this important
designation. After a rigorous process of self-assessment, external assessment
and new safety process implementation over 18 months.
In 2018, Aspetar has been awarded the Diamond Level Status
under the Qmentum International Accreditation Program, an
internationally-recognised system that focuses on quality and safety throughout
all aspects of an organisation’s services, including governance and leadership,
direct care and infrastructure.
It is noteworthy that Aspetar in November 2012 created a
sustainable long-term programme on injury and illness prevention called the
Aspetar Sports Injury and Illness Prevention Programme (ASPREV), which is based
on the two main conjoined elements of research and implementation, The
objectives and activities within ASPREV are closely aligned with those of the
IOC; Aspetar has been recognised as an IOC Research Centre for the Prevention
of Injury and Protection of Athlete Health since November 2014.
-ENDS-
About Aspetar:
Aspetar is a world leading specialised orthopaedic and
sports medicine hospital, and the first of its kind in the Middle East. Since
2007, with a world expert team, the hospital has provided top-level
comprehensive medical treatment to all athletes in a state-of-the-art facility
that sets new standards internationally.
In 2009, Aspetar was accredited as a “FIFA Medical Centre of
Excellence”. In 2013, Aspetar was adopted as a reference collaborator centre by
the Gulf Countries Council (GCC) Health Ministers Council and “IOC Research
Centre for Prevention of Injury and Protection of Athlete Health” in 2014.
In 2015, Aspetar has been recognised as the “IHF Reference
Centre for Athlete and Referee Health”.
In 2017, Aspetar was awarded World Health Organization’s Patient Safety
Friendly Hospital-Level 3 designation.
In 2018, Aspetar – Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital
was officially awarded Diamond Level accreditation status by Accreditation
Canada. This is the highest level of accreditation award possible under the
program and awarded to highly committed and quality-oriented organizations that
monitor outcomes, use evidence and best practice to improve services. Aspetar is now the first hospital in the
State of Qatar to be awarded this coveted Diamond Level Status. Aspetar is a
member–organisation of Aspire Zone Foundation, Qatar’s innovative sports and
healthy lifestyle destination.
