HMC Speech Therapy Department Provides Training to Gaza-based Healthcare Professionals

Gaza-based therapists celebrated their completion of their training in an online ceremony

Qatar Rehabilitation Institute's (QRI) Speech Therapy Department recently concluded a training program with healthcare providers at the Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Hospital for Rehabilitation in Gaza, located 

The objective of this program was to Improve the skills of Palestinian clinicians in providing children with dysphagia with the most up-to-date diagnosis and treatment, thereby improving their health and quality of life.

The term dysphagia refers to difficulties with feeding and swallowing that are brought on by congenital defects at birth, disease or illness. 

Prematurity, developmental delays, cleft lips and palates, and celebral palsy, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) are some of the most common causes of paediatric dysphagia.

QRI’s Pediatric Dysphagia Clinic has developed a service based on international best practices in treating such disorders. 

The training team involved in providing the free online training included experts from QRI’s paediatric dysphagia clinic who worked on developing the comprehensive course materials. 

Training experts from QRI's pediatric dysphagia clinic were involved in developing the comprehensive course materials used in this free online training. Five Speech Therapists were involved in the 15-month training online program which included theoretical knowledge as well as practical demonstration and training in using the donated tools and equipment. 

In addition, six speech therapists from HMC in Qatar also joined the training as an opportunity to  build their competency and sharpen their clinical skills in this area of focus.

“While Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Hospital has some equipment, they did not have all appropriate tools and materials needed for therapies in their clinics and we applied creative thinking to help the Gaza-based team develop tools using local resources. Additional tools and equipment were  donated by HMC’s Speech Therapy Department, which was welcomed by colleagues in Sheikh Hamad Hospital.” Said Eman Yousef Al Mulla, Chief of Speech Therapy Department at HMC, as she explained the challenges of providing this training to healthcare professionals who are working in the besieged Gaza Strip.

“It was not easy for our colleagues in Gaza, having to deal with multiple power outages that interrupted the Internet connectivity needed for the online training. Moreover, we all had to deal with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic that impacted how we could work. We also had to adapt the training to be delivered completely online without the usual benefit of practical face-to-face sessions. But I am pleased with how well we adapted the training program to deal with these handicaps and the success of the program to date,” added Al Mulla. 

“We have been in touch with the team in Gaza who have been doing a great job implementing the new learning and equipment with the children in their care. Doing this type of work is very emotionally rewarding and we hope to repeat the exercise at a future date,” added Mrs. Al-Mulla. “We were thankful to have the support of our senior leaders, including Mr. Mahmoud Al Raisi, our Chief of Continuing Care at HMC, and Dr. Hanadi Al Hamad, Medical Director of QRI and Rumailah Hospital, who encouraged us every step of the way.”

The training was delivered by experienced speech therapy specialists with expertise in Dysphagia; led by Mr. Ibrahim Alayaseh, Speech-language pathologists (SLP) Supervisor, and Ms. Asha Gopinath, SLP Specialist at QRI. The training focused on teaching the latest techniques to promote feeding (accepting and preparing food orally) and swallowing (transporting food from the mouth to the stomach) in children with Dysphagia. The QRI teams continue to meet regularly with the speech therapy team in Gaza for case conferences and discussions that provide continuous training support for the team and their patients.

Feeding and Swallowing Disorders (Dysphagia) are considered a highly specialized medical subspecialty in the speech pathology field. The well-trained and skillful Speech Pathologists at QRI are also qualified to train other speech therapists.