Qatar News Agency
In addition to the various health sectors, Aspetar hospital, which is one of the largest sports medicine hospitals around the globe, will also play a major role during the tournament by providing its medical services to all the athletes participating in the World Cup.
Aspetar will play a leading role during the World Cup, especially with Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Khalid Al Khelaifi being selected by the International Football Association (FIFA) as medical director for athletes' services during the tournament. Aspetar has all the capabilities to provide excellent medical services in the World Cup, as it usually does in all tournaments; all hospital staff, including doctors, surgeons, specialists, and pharmacists, will work through a 24/7 system to cover any medical emergency needed by the participating athletes.
According to Aspetar officials, some of the hospital's qualified doctors have been assigned to work as medical directors in several World Cup stadiums.
During the tournament, the hospital will provide its services in particular to about 10 participating teams in the tournament who have limited medical support - enabling them to use additional medical staff to work directly with. Aspetar's role will not be limited to providing medical services, but will also provide assistance upon request in supporting the participating teams with additional medical equipment and staff, as well as making use of the hospital facilities in Qatari clubs where some of the participating teams' training sites are located during the tournament to serve the participating teams and their staff.
About 32 health centers are already prepared to cope with the World Cup event, as according to those in charge of the health care institution, work is underway to open and equip five new health centers before the start of the tournament, causing the number of health centers to increase from 27 to 32 health centers according to the latest international standards. The centers provide many medical services through several private clinics, including a specialized travel clinic, where patients can receive vaccinations and health consultations, and special clinics are available for persons with disabilities.
During the tournament, visiting fans will have access to world-class medical services in their time of need. In the event of a medical emergency, such as a serious injury or sudden illness, fans can call 999 to request rapid emergency support from the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) Ambulance Service, which operates 24/7. It also provides rapid support for life-threatening medical incidents and the case is urgently transferred to the appropriate emergency department of the hospital.
Fans can easily access healthcare services whether they visit hospitals for non-emergency care, or through medical clinics in stadiums, fan zones, main accommodation sites, and all venues managed by healthcare teams, to ensure medical support is provided at the sites that fans frequently visit.
Many private healthcare providers will also operate 24-hour emergency and urgent care services, in addition to allocating four HMC hospitals to patients who need urgent but non-emergency medical care.
The health information website for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 tournament will be launched in Arabic and English, which will help provide an electronic reference to learn about the healthcare system in Qatar and the multiple options available to all for receiving medical support, as public health awareness information on food safety, handling the heat and sunlight, traffic safety, infection control measures, and other information services will be broadcasted.