The Speech Therapy Department at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) is set to host a Speech Therapy Awareness Campaign from 18th to 22nd April. It is the fifth campaign of its kind to take place in the country. The week-long series of events will be held under the sponsorship of Ali Bin Ali Medical with support from Al Jazeera Children’s Channel.
The Speech Therapy Week will feature a range of activities including lectures given by experts based in Qatar in the field of speech therapy, in which members of the medical community will be invited. In addition, celebrations for in-patients and out-patients in the paediatric and adult sections of the department will take place. The aim of the event is to increase awareness about the Speech Therapy Department at HMC, as well as highlight the up-to-date facilities and skills open to those with speech and language problems. The campaign will also highlight the many issues that can affect a person’s speech and language abilities.
The department will conduct a presentation for staff members from various departments in HMC. Additionally, there will also be educational programmes that will be conducted for speech therapists working within HMC. Lectures will also occur given by a range of specialists from within Qatar, including experts from Qatar University, Qatar Foundation and HMC. All aspects of speech therapy will be covered, including phonetics, speech pathology, paediatric complaints as well as special education.
“The event is geared towards the orientation of HMC staff regarding speech therapy matters, and the numerous educational lectures that will take place during the event will focus on ten areas comprising of paediatric rehabilitation, adult rehabilitation, geriatric work, neurosurgery, ear nose throat, audiology, general medicine, and occupational therapy and physiotherapy,” said Dr Amal Idris, Head of Speech Therapy at HMC, “There will also be several activities during the week for children with disabilities from the Children Rehabilitation Department.”
Speech therapy services at HMC were introduced in 1994, as a small unit created under the administration of Special Education services. In 2002, the department was established in its own section in the Rumailah Hospital, and at this point development took place in the area of standardisation of various speech and language assessment therapy tools. The department treats predominantly paediatric cases, which are attributed to congenital malformations of the oral tract.
