Remodeling of Health Care Services during Covid-19 Pandemic: A Report from Yarmouk Health Care Center, Kuwait

Authors

  • Huda Alduwaisan Head of Al-Yarmouk Primary Healthcare Centre, Head of the Faculty of Primary Healthcare at Kuwait Institute of Medical Specializations Kuwait,
  • Rasheed Alrasheed Al-Yarmouk Primary Healthcare Centre, Kuwait
  • Mahdi Alhashemi Al-Yarmouk Primary Healthcare Centre, Kuwait
  • Tasneem Aljarki Al-Yarmouk Primary Healthcare Centre, Kuwait
  • Mai Alothman Al-Yarmouk Primary Healthcare Centre, Kuwait
  • Waris Qidwai Department of Family Medicine, The Aga Khan University Karachi Pakistan
  • Kashmira Nanji Epidemiologist & Biostatistician, Pakistan

Keywords:

Covid-19 pandemic, Kuwait, Primary Health Care System, Yarmouk Primary Health Care Center, Health Care Delivery System

Abstract

Several initiatives were undertaken and/or revamped at Yarmouk Primary Health Care Center to help control Covid-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to study the effectiveness of reform initiatives that were undertaken to respond and adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted during February 2019 to December 2020. All adult patients (>18 years) who visited the center during the study period were included and all staff working in Yarmouk health center were also included. SPSS version 19 was used for data analysis. Yarmouk PHCC employs eight Family Medicine Specialists, four General Practitioners, 29 Nurses, 15 Administrators and support staff. Result shows that there was a significant reduction (75%), in the proportion of patients visiting the PHCC during the pandemic. Moreover, 9511 employees were screened for Covid-19, using the innovative triage system. Appointment links were used 102, 256 times. Link to issue medical reports was used more than 330 times. The chronic medicines refill link was used 868 times. In conclusion, remodeling healthcare delivery system during Covid-19 in Yarmouk PHCC in Kuwait showed the importance of primary health care system as a gate keeper for diagnosis and prevention of diseases especially during disaster such as Covid-19 pandemic. We advocate that failing to appreciate the importance of PHC in this pandemic moment can be an error in favor of the rapid collapse of the health system within the face of the rise in cases of COVID-19 within the country.

References

Statoids. Governorates of Kuwait. Available: http://www.statoids.com/ukw.html

World Bank. (2021). The World Bank. Population: Kuwait. Available: https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=KW

World Population Review. (2021). Kuwait Population 2021. Available: https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/kuwait-population

United Nations Development Programme. (2020). Human Development Reports. 2020. Available: http://hdr.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/KWT

World Health Organization. (2017). Country Cooperation Strategy at a Glance: Kuwait. Available: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/136906/ccsbrief_kwt_en.pdf;sequence=1

H. Badr, M. A. Maktabi, M. Al-Kandari, and A. M. Sibai, "Review of non-communicable disease research activity in kuwait: Where is the evidence for the best practice?," Annals of global health, vol. 85, no. 1, 2019.

A. Salman, E. Tolma, S. Chun, K. O. Sigodo, and A. Al-Hunayan, "Health promotion programs to reduce noncommunicable diseases: A call for action in Kuwait," Healthcare, vol. 8, no. 3, p. 251, 2020.

S. F. Al-Azmi, A. M. Mohammed, and M. I. Hanafi, "Patients’ satisfaction with primary health care in Kuwait after electronic medical record implementation," J Egypt Public Health Assoc, vol. 81, no. 5&6, pp. 278-300, 2006.

J. Gasana and M. Shehab, "Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): Handling Challenges in Kuwait," Sci, vol. 2, no. 3, p. 63, 2020.

GLMM. (2018, September, 26). Kuwait: Population by nationality group and sex Available: https://gulfmigration.org/kuwait-population-nationality-group-sex-administrative-region-governorate-residence-december-2015/

O. Bhattacharyya and P. Agarwal, "Adapting primary care to respond to COVID-19," Canadian Family Physician, 2021.

D. Peiris, M. Sharma, D. Praveen, A. Bitton, G. Bresick, M.Coffman et al., "Strengthening primary health care in the COVID-19 era: a review of best practices to inform health system responses in low-and middle-income countries," WHO South-East Asia Journal of Public Health, vol. 10, no. 3, p. 6, 2021.

T. D. Sarti, W. S. Lazarini, L. F. Fontenelle, and A. P. S. C. Almeida, "What is the role of Primary Health Care in the COVID-19 pandemic?," ed: SciELO Brasil, 2020.

T. A. Khoja et al., "Primary Health Care in Pandemics: Barriers, Challenges and Opportunities," Middle East Journal of Family Medicine, vol. 19, no. 8, 2021.

E. Harzheim, C. Martins, L. Wollmann, L. A. Pedebos, L.A. Faller, M. C. Marques et al., "Federal actions to support and strengthen local efforts to combat COVID-19: Primary Health Care (PHC) in the driver's seat," Cien Saude Colet, vol. 25, pp. 2493-2497, 2020.

S. Park, J. Elliott, A. Berlin, J. Hamer-Hunt, and A. Haines, "Strengthening the UK primary care response to covid-19," BMJ, vol. 370, 2020.

S. Rawaf, L.N. Allen, F.L. Stigler, D. Kringos, H. Q. Yamamoto and C. V. Weel, "Lessons on the COVID-19 pandemic, for and by primary care professionals worldwide," Eur J Gen Pract., vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 129-133, 2020.

A. Ghosh, K. Sharma, and S. Choudhury, "COVID-19 and physician–patient relationship: potential effects of ‘masking’,‘distancing’and ‘others’," Family Practice, vol. 38, no. 2, pp. 193-194, 2021.

B. B. Fatusin, M. A. Odewale, T. I. Oseni, and R. O. Agbede, "The role of the family physician in the fight against Coronavirus disease 2019 in Nigeria," African Journal of Primary Health Care Family Medicine, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 1-3, 2020.

V. Kaul, V. H. Shah, and H. El-Serag, "Leadership during crisis: lessons and applications from the COVID-19 pandemic," Gastroenterology, vol. 159, no. 3, p. 809, 2020.

P. F. Chan, K. P. L. Lai, D. V. K. Chao, and S. C. K. Fung, "Enhancing the triage and cohort of patients in public primary care clinics in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Hong Kong: an experience from a hospital cluster," BJGP open, vol. 4, no. 2, 2020.

T. Greenhalgh, G. C. H. Koh, and J. Car, "Covid-19: a remote assessment in primary care," BMJ, vol. 368, 2020.

Downloads

Published

2021-10-27

How to Cite

Alduwaisan, H., Alrasheed , R. ., Alhashemi , M. ., Aljarki , T. ., Alothman , M. ., Qidwai, W., & Nanji, K. (2021). Remodeling of Health Care Services during Covid-19 Pandemic: A Report from Yarmouk Health Care Center, Kuwait. International Journal of Sciences: Basic and Applied Research (IJSBAR), 60(4), 34–44. Retrieved from https://gssrr.org/index.php/JournalOfBasicAndApplied/article/view/13376

Issue

Section

Articles