Muscat: The Ministry of Health, represented by the Directorate General of Khoula Hospital launched today several health initiatives that aim to address challenges and reduce waiting lists for medical services provided at Khoula Hospital and Al Nahda Hospital.
The move aims to ensure the continuity and sustainability of these services in both hospitals.
The launching ceremony was held under the patronage of Dr. Hilal Ali Al Sabti, Minister of Health.
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 4 weeks during this initiative, compared to up to 16 months experienced in 2021 and 2022.
One of the announced initiatives 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 in order to shorten 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, where 27 surgeries will be conducted per week, and increasing the number of weekly appointments gradually. 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.
In addition, 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%.
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 3 months.
More than 900 patients will be treated during its implementation to reduce 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 program to complete the treatment of urgent dental cases for patients with special needs under general anesthesia within 4 months. This program aims to reduce the surgical wait times within the 4-month period by increasing the number of operating rooms available for dental procedures for special needs patients under general anesthesia 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 center for emergencies and disasters.
