Life on the Spot! Life and Leisure in Doha, Qatar

Having a sick child is probably one of the most difficult things that parents ever have to experience. Xianelle has been sick for more than a week now. She's been having cough and colds. We took her twice to the clinic. We were told that there was no indication of any bacterial infection, that it was just viral. But my husband and I got a little concerned because her fever kept recurring, usually at night and very early in the morning. We thought that this one needed more than just a dose of paracetamol and decongestant syrup.

So on Saturday, instead of going back to the same clinic where we used to bring her, we went straight to the Children's Emergency Clinic at Al Sadd. We thought that it's better to take her there since we're sure that they specialize on children. It was actually our first time there. We got there at 8:30 a.m. and one of the first ones to arrive. Once there, go straight to the nurse at the reception and get a number. Then you go to cashier's window to get your file, all you need to show is your child's health card.

Once your number is served, you go straight to the emergency room. There the parents are asked about the child's illness and then examine your child, the temperature, the throat, ears and mouth, etc. After looking into Xiane's throat and ear, the doctor was almost certain that Xiane already has some sort of bacterial infection. But just to make sure, he ordered a urine test. Now this was a bit of a challenge. It was difficult to make your child to pass urine on the spot especially that she just did before we left the car. We had to give her water and juice that we got from a vending machine that was there. After 30 minutes, I finally got her to pee just the enough amount for the laboratory to work on.  Then we waited for results. Waiting is never fun but we were just glad that we could get the results right there and then. Besides, it wasn't that bad since there were other mothers there that I got to talk to.

By this time, a lot of patients had already arrived. Most of them are children even younger than Xiane. You hear a lot of whining and crying. I realized that you really must have a lot of patience and tolerance if you are  to work there. Some kids are less cooperative than the others, that they had to be placed on restraints especially when the nurses had to draw blood for examination. 

After waiting an hour or so, the doctor informed us that the result that they got wasn't clear cut, it showed a bit of infection and was a borderline but it might have been caused by contamination so we had to redo the urine test. Yes, we learned about it after Xiane just passed urine again! So we went through the same process. This time I got her some chips and juice from the vending machine. Luckily, after finishing her chips and half of the juice, she peed. Then we had to wait for some time to get the results. But all the waiting was worth it when the doctor told us that the urine test result was negative for any infection. It was such a relief to know that.

I really admire the medical services that they have here in Qatar. I can say that it is alright to bring your children to the Children's Emergency Clinic. The best part is that you get the medical attention that your child needs, right away and you get it for free. I only paid QR11 for the medicines: 2 bottles of antibiotics, decongestant and paracetamol.  Hopefully Xiane will get well soon, now that she is taking her antibiotics.