Doha, Qatar 2 April, 2012: Following the successful implementation of a new fixed time appointment system for Urology clinics, in April 2012 this system is being extended to cover more clinics in the Hamad General Hospital Outpatient Department (OPD).

These clinics include General Medicine, from 1 April, Chest from 15 April and Diabetes from 22 April.

The new system means, once a patient has been referred to see a specialist doctor, their referral will go directly from the referring doctor to the new 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 OPD.

Patients will no longer need to visit the hospital in person to make an appointment. Also, their appointment will be made for a fixed time, so they won't have to spend as long in the clinic and will have protected time with the specialist. In addition they will be reminded of their appointment by phone and SMS. 

Under the new system walk-in patients can no longer be seen and you must have a referral to get an appointment. Patients will be asked to keep to their allocated appointment time. If they can't keep their appointment they will be encouraged to call +974 4439 5777 so a new appointment can be arranged at a more convenient time. If a patient is more than 15 minutes late for an appointment they will have to be rebooked for another day.  

Please see the table below for the roll-out schedule for other OPD clinics.

For more information please call +974 4439 5777 or visit www.hamad.qa/opd



About HMC:
Hamad Medical Corporation is the premier non-profit health care provider in Doha, Qatar.  It was established by Emiri decree in 1979 and manages eight highly specialized hospitals, namely, Hamad General Hospital, Rumailah Hospital, Women's Hospital, Al Amal Hospital, Heart Hospital, Al Wakra Hospital, the Cuban Hospital and Al Khor Hospital.  Since its establishment, HMC has rapidly developed medical facilities capable of providing state-of-the-art diagnosis and treatment of diseases that previously could only be managed in overseas medical centers.

HMC prides itself in providing quality and cost efficient health care for all patients regardless of nationality, in line with the State of Qatar's pledge of "Health for All".  For this purpose, the Corporation implements a policy of continuous improvement of all management systems and patient care protocols. HMC's ethos is based on three key pillars which are Health, Education and Research. 

For more information, please contact:
Marketing and Public Relations Department
Hamad Medical Corporation
Tel. No.: +974 4439 6126
Fax No.: +974 4439 5002
www.hmc.org.qa

© Press Release 2012