Amman, Aug. 15 (Petra) – Minister of Health Dr. Ibrahim Bdour has
directed establishment of new clinics to assess patients referred
from health centers on the same day.

The process covers all specialties of surgery and orthopedics, and
now including other specialties, such as internal medicine,
pediatrics, and obstetrics/gynecology.

These patients will receive medical treatment and then be referred to
subspecialty clinics – if needed – at Al-Bashir and Hamza hospitals.

As for its goals, this initiative aims to expedite access to
specialized services for patients referred from health centers in
Amman and reduce waiting times and appointment lengths in these
specialties, which previously extended for months.

According to the directives issued Saturday, the patient assessment
clinics will begin receiving new patients referred from health
centers in the capital Amman, starting next Tuesday, August 18.

These patients will be assessed on the same day to determine their
need for specialized services and the appropriate procedure for their
condition, which would cut their treatment journey and accelerate
their access to necessary care.

The clinics will also assess patients with long waiting lists at
other clinics and their subspecialties, rescheduling their
appointments according to medical need.

This effort will help reduce waiting times and make better use of the
available capacity at both hospitals.

In a statement Saturday, Bdour stated that there will be no new
patient appointments at the clinics of Al-Bashir and Prince Hamza
hospitals.

He said these new clinics are part of the ministry’s plan to
reorganize patient flow and enhance integration between health
centers and hospitals.

Patients who can only need primary healthcare will be treated at
health centers, he said, while cases requiring specialized care will
be referred to hospitals.

He noted that these measures align with Prime Minister Dr. Jaafar
Hassan’s directives to improve the level of healthcare services
provided to citizens, raise efficiency of the healthcare system, and
facilitate patient access to medical services, particularly in
specialties experiencing high patient volume.

On its current vision, he stated the ministry is “simultaneously”
working to redesign operations of health centers adjacent to the
capital’s hospitals and enhance their capacity to provide diagnostic,
treatment, and follow-up services within primary healthcare
specialties.

This procedure, he noted, ensures that patients are directed to
receive the appropriate level of care from the beginning of their
treatment journey.

As a first step, he announced this approach will be implemented at
Hamza and Al-Bashir hospitals, which will be carried out by other
hospitals experiencing overcrowding and delays in appointments for
patients referred from health centers.

This plan complements the ministry’s approach to organizing medical
referrals and linking health centers with hospitals “more
effectively,” which would reduce overcrowding, regulate patient flow,
and improve efficiency of staff and available resources, he pointed
out.

He affirmed the ministry’s continued commitment to assess needs of
health districts and develop mechanisms for receiving and referring
patients, which would ensure their “smooth” access to appropriate
services, cut waiting times, and improve quality of healthcare
provided to citizens.

//Petra// AG