Hospitals told to reduce waiting list of patients

Muscat: Dr. Hilal bin Ali Al-Sabti, Minister of Health, has directed specialists in the health ministry to schedule appointments for patients in a way so that they are not put to unnecessary inconvenience in the Sultanate of Oman.

An official from the Ministry of Health confirmed that Dr. Al-Sabti has issued an internal circular directing the specialists in the Ministry to cut down waiting lists for patients and expedite consultancy services at the outpatient department and surgeries at the earliest.

This comes after citizens appealed to the Minister to resolve the issue of delay in seeking appointments at hospitals.

Talking about the delay in appointments, Mohammed Al Nasri said: “My daughter suffers from pain in her ear and needs surgery. When I went to the hospital, an appointment was scheduled after five months. I was taken aback. How can my daughter endure pain all this while?”

“When I asked the doctor about the inordinate delay in appointment, the doctor replied that there are so many on the waiting list and that he could little regarding this.”  

Lamenting his plight, Mohammed said, “I do not have enough money to have surgery at a private hospital, it is a very difficult situation.” He said the directives of the Minister have indeed raised the hope of the suffering people.
Sultan Al-Busaidi also said, “I was suffering from pain in the inner eyelid of my eye. I went to the hospital and my eyes were examined.”

After tests, an appointment was given after about three months. Why this delay, I don’t know.”

Al-Busaidi says: “I told the doctor that I cannot sleep because of the pain in my eyes, but he said there are many appointments and it is not possible to bring the appointment date closer.”

Al Busaidi hopes that with the directives of the Minister to the specialists in the ministry, there are chances of things improving in the future.