The Ministry of Health, through Khoula and Al Nahda Hospitals, will now introduce evening clinics in certain areas and offer services during weekends to reduce delays for surgeries as part of initiatives aimed at shortening the waiting period for operations.
The initiatives were launched on Sunday at Khoula Hospital by Dr Hilal bin Ali al Sabti, Minister of Health, and Dr Rashid bin Mohammed al Alawi, Director-General at Khoula Hospital, who, along with other team members, introduced eight initiatives.
Six of the initiatives are primarily surgical, said Dr Hamdoon al Numani, Assistant Director at Al Nahda Hospital. According to him, these include performing 1,000 knee replacement surgeries for elderly patients suffering from knee issues and 1,500 cataract surgeries.
He said, "The health initiatives include conducting 12,000 MRI scans at Khoula Hospital over the next year. This will involve performing 45 to 50 scans daily during weekdays and 20 scans on weekends, amounting to 1,000 MRI scans each month. The aim is to reduce the waiting time for MRI appointments to less than four weeks during this initiative, compared to the up to 16 months experienced in 2021 and 2022."
One of the initiatives announced is the reduction of waiting lists for endoscopies. This involves expanding the endoscopy unit at both Khoula Hospital and Al Nahda Hospital by increasing the number of rooms from one to three, thereby shortening the waiting period from one year to two months. The second phase of this initiative aims to further reduce waiting time to four weeks for routine appointments. The endoscopy unit at Al Nahda Hospital will be activated to support this effort.
Furthermore, the initiatives include performing 1,000 tonsil and adenoid removal surgeries within a year. This will involve conducting 83 surgeries each month, with the activation of the operating rooms in the Day Care Building at Khoula Hospital to facilitate these procedures.
The initiatives also include performing 1,000 knee replacement surgeries, with 27 surgeries to be conducted per week and the number of weekly appointments gradually increased. The goal is to reduce the waiting time from 700 days to 120 days during the initiative and to include weekends for performing these surgeries.
Additionally, the initiatives involve carrying out 1,500 cataract surgeries within a year. This includes 1,000 surgeries at Al Nahda Hospital and 500 additional surgeries at Khoula Hospital in the Day Care Building. The procedures will be scheduled with an average of 8 cases per day, spread between morning and afternoon sessions, with the aim of reducing waiting lists by 50 per cent.
Challenging medical cases from regional hospitals will be referred to Khoula and Al Nahda Hospitals.
Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness in Oman and worldwide. Cataracts are a reversible condition because patients regain full vision after surgery.
"The number one operation in all eye departments around the world is cataract surgery. Today, we aim to increase the number of cataract surgeries performed at Al Nahda Hospital from 1,000 to 1,500 per year. This will significantly reduce the waiting time," said Dr Haitham al Mahrouqi, Senior Specialist in Cornea, Cataract, and Refractive Surgery.
Among the initiatives launched by the Ministry of Health is the activation of the evening clinic for the Dentistry and Oral, Maxillofacial Surgery Department at Al Nahda Hospital over the next three months. More than 900 patients will be treated during its implementation, reducing the waiting time for emergency cases to a maximum of two weeks and for routine appointments to less than six weeks.
The initiatives also include a programme to complete the treatment of urgent dental cases for patients with special needs under general anaesthesia within four months. This programme aims to reduce surgical wait times within the four-month period by increasing the number of operating rooms available for dental procedures for special needs patients under general anaesthesia during weekdays.
The initiative to manage the revenue cycle at Khoula Hospital aims to enhance the operational efficiency of the current billing system and improve financial performance. This initiative is particularly important given that Khoula Hospital serves as a centre for emergencies and disasters.
According to Dr Jinan al Abduwani, ENT consultant, this list of new initiatives is indeed good news. "What we approximate is that about 80 per cent of our current waiting list will be cleared with this initiative. And this will greatly benefit many children, specifically as most of our cases of adenoid tonsillectomy are for children."
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