Manama: Children in Qatar must be accompanied by a parent, and not the family driver or helper, when they are to receive emergency medical treatment, a senior health official said.
Dr. Mohammad Al Amri, assistant director of Pediatric Emergency at Hamad Medical Corporation in the capital Doha, said that the new rule was decided after the medical services have noted that several children have been brought in by drivers and domestic helpers and that the parents did not show up.
Al Amri said that the rule to be applied starting April 1 aimed to help address the growing negative attitude of parents who did not accompany their children at the medical facilities, local daily Al Raya reported on Sunday.
Doctors are at times baffled as they want during the observation and examination specific answers about the children, including their medical history and possible allergies, but they cannot have the answers from the drivers or the helpers, he said.
Such situations mean that the doctors cannot go on with the examination and the prescription of the necessary treatment.
The new rule does not mean that the emergency services will ask the children to go home without being examined as it would be highly unethical, Al Amri said.
Emergency cases that require prompt intervention will be treated without delays, but the other situations will be handled differently.
A preliminary checkup will be carried out to ensure the case is stable, but the patient will be treated only when a parent shows up, he added.
Mothers and fathers should be more careful about the medical conditions of their children and should not underestimate the significance of accompanying them to health centres, medical facilities and emergency departments, he said.
The physical presence of the parent who is familiar with the medical history and possible allergies of the child is crucial for the checkup and treatment, he added.
