Hamad Hospital OPD to Start Appointment System For Patients

Doha, February 25 (QNA) - Hamad Medical Corporation's Out Patient Department (OPD) will start from March 4 next month a new system of scheduled appointments for patients seeking to consult doctors. The new system, designed to reduce waiting times, will start with urology clinics and then roll out to cover all clinics before the summer, the hospital announced in a media statement Saturday. The new system will mean patients will be examined by the appropriate doctor at the scheduled time and reduce waiting period at the clinic. Patients will no longer need to visit the hospital in person to make an appointment. Appointments will be scheduled so patients will not have to spend long time at the clinic and they will have protected time with the specialist Patients will be reminded of their appointment by phone and text messages. In order to be seen by a specialist doctor in the OPD, patients must be referred. This referral could come from Primary Healthcare, the Emergency Department or a private clinic. Once a patient has been referred their referral will be forwarded from the referring doctor to the new Hamad Medical Corporation Patient Contact Center. Following an assessment of their clinical need by a doctor they will be telephoned to arrange a suitable time for their visit to the Outpatient Department. Patients will no longer be seen without a referral or if they walk in to clinics without an appointment. Patients will also be asked to keep to their allocated appointment time. If they cannot keep their appointment they would have to call the Patient Contact Center in advance to set a new appointment. If a patient is more than 15 minutes late for an appointment it will have to be rescheduled for another day, the announcement said. (QNA)