DOHA: Some 500 cases were reported to the emergency unit of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) on the first day of Eid Al Adha yesterday with doctors saying this was a low patient turnout on an Eid day.
Children’s emergency centres in Al Saad and Al Rayan and the section at HMC, on the other hand, had a relatively high turnout, but thankfully, most cases related to seasonal ailments like flu and respiratory complaints.
As is always the case during Eid Al Adha when sheep are sacrificed as a religious ritual in large numbers, most of the people who came over to HMC’s emergency complained of stomach upsets due to overeating caused by large intake of sheep’s meat which is quite fatty.
The HMC emergency unit received 127 calls during the day with 45 of these cases requesting immediate attention. These cases included at least seven road accidents.
No deaths or serious injuries were reported in these accidents. The helicopter ambulance section of the emergency unit received three calls during the day.
The emergency section has, meanwhile, has set up a helipad in the Sealine area where the camping season is on so that helicopter ambulance can land there in the event of emergency.
Besides, four-wheel ambulances have also been pressed into service at the Sealine area to tackle medical emergencies. The Al Sadd emergency centre handled some 400 cases yesterday, many of them being flu, respiratory infections and asthma attacks.
Some 25 cases were transferred to the intensive care unit of HMC for treatment.
The turnout at Al Rayan children’s emergency centre was roughly 200 yesterday and none of them was a serious case.
Doctors have advised people to restrict their red meat intake during the Eid holidays and instead opt for fish and white meat as eating red meat in large quantities and regularly can cause serious problems like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and serious digestive disorders.The Peninsula
