One week into implementing the fixed appointment system at Hamad General Hospital- Out Patient clinics, more than 46,000 appointments have been made. However, more than a quarter of the patients are not following the new system, according to an official.
Hamad Medical Corporation began implementing the system at HGH OPD in March with Urology clinics extending it to other clinics this month.
HGH-OPD doctors used to see more than 1,500 patients each day before the system was introduced.
In addition, same number of people visited the department everyday just to book their appointments. With 3,000 people at OPD daily, and only half of them to see a doctor, the department was crowded every day.
The new system was introduced to streamline the appointment system at Hamad General Hospital. It is designed to help patients save waiting time at the clinic.
With the new system, patients no longer needed to visit the hospital to make an appointment. The system also gives priority to urgent cases.
“However, a huge number of patients are not following the new system. Some 25 to 30 percent of the patients are not following the appointment system or are not showing up for appointment,” said Nasser Al Naimi, Executive Director of the Center of Healthcare Improvement, HMC.
“This is causing more problems and affecting the rights of other patients to see doctors at the time allocated for them. Patients should follow their appointment time for he smooth running of the system,” he told a local daily.
The Peninsula
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