Patients seek improvement in hospital time initiative

Out-patients at the National Hospital, Abuja, have called on the management of the hospital to improve on its new initiative aimed at reducing the time patients spend at the hospital to see a doctor. They made the call when Daily Trust health desk sought their opinion in the various sections of the hospital yesterday in […]

Out-patients at the National Hospital, Abuja, have called on the management of the hospital to improve on its new initiative aimed at reducing the time patients spend at the hospital to see a doctor.
They made the call when Daily Trust health desk sought their opinion in the various sections of the hospital yesterday in Abuja.
While commending the Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr J. A. F Momoh,  for the initiative, the patients said lapses still exist that need to be addressed for the effort to serve its purpose.
Barrister Amina Liman said she was booked to see a doctor at 1 pm but that while she saw him at the exact time, she noticed that other patients were not able to see the doctor even though they were scheduled and also received booking text alerts.
Another patient, Joy said the management should inform patients to come to the hospital by 12:00pm where they are booked to see a doctor by 1:00pm as there seemed a communication gap between the medical records department, the nurses and doctors to attend to patients as scheduled.
She added that some patients are booked to come at a certain time and even received reminder alerts only to come and spend hours again for their hospital cards to be sorted out.
The Daily Trust health desk observed a face-off between a patient and some nurses. According to the patient, she came early in the morning and was booked for 1:00pm but that when it was time, the nurses told her they were not aware she received alert for 1:00pm.
Another patent who does not want her name in print said the initiative was good but there was need for synergy by all staff to make it work.
Earlier, the Head  of  Department, Management Information Services, Dr Tayo Haastrup, said the time management initiative is a new development in the public sector and the National Hospital, Abuja is the first to implement it.
He said before the initiative, patients waited from 8:00am to 2:00pm to see a doctor but that the chief medical director introduced the time allocation system where a patient is booked and given time to come and see a doctor thereby reducing the period spent waiting to be attended to.
Haastrup explained that text messages are sent to the patient from time to time and the person could call to reschedule the booking where the time was not convenient.
He said the hospital is also putting in place another initiative for people bringing patients to first of all call the hospital especially in emergency situations.